Making sculpture of animals and in particular of wildlife has always been a delight. Every animal has a personality of its own but unlike humans, they carry no pretense. They are always wonderfully authentic. They are beautiful, purposeful, generally full of energy and constantly on their guard.
I tend to make my sculpture initially with steel and plaster though smaller ones are made in wax. I love the making process. There is a rawness and roughness to it which has a life giving quality which is a pleasure to work with. It has always surprised me that a steel and plaster original is considered of less value than a copy of the same piece in bronze. Surely the original is the piece the sculptor actually made? How strange the world is sometimes..... If it were a print of a painting we would see it differently.
As a result I now also participate in the casting process, thus being involved in the final production directly - which therefore makes each piece much more authentic.
Increasingly I am more concerned with the feeling created by the work itself than the actual representation. That is where the authenticity of life really lies.
“Outstanding.”