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I am an artist blacksmith with a focus on creating sculptural works. My artistic practice is often evolutionary in nature: I start a new piece of work by creating a series of prototypes, each one related to its predecessor, repeating this process until the key elements of the design start to become clear. This approach allows for a dialogue with the material, engendering a space in which the material has a ‘voice’. This also provides an opportunity to gain deeper insights and understanding of the processes involved. My material of choice is hot steel, but I also employ other metals and materials in my wider practice.
I draw inspiration from a wide range of sources, most notably nature and my immediate surroundings. I now live in the countryside, which provides a huge opportunity to observe the landscape close-up, to examine the multitude of natural forms, and to watch fauna and flora interacting in their native environment.
Corbeled Vessels I explores the dynamic nature of spiralled steel vessels. They are created from a single length of tightly wound material which is then formed into a vessel before final polishing. This process allows each turn of the spiral to move in relation to the next, resulting in an intriguing and playful object. The polished underside provides a stark contrast to the rough corbeled interior.
Corbeled Vessels II is a limited edition of twelve stainless steel bowls that have been electropolished and tempered to give a unique range of iridescent colours. Each bowl is stamped with the artist’s maker’s mark on the rim and a number (1-12) on the base.
Hammer-scale, which forms on the surface of hot steel due to rapid oxidation with air, is generally considered a waste product. Greyscale brings life to this otherwise discarded aspect of the forging process, creating an ever-changing landscape of scale flakes, with the accompanying sounds of the flakes scraping against each other.
Dissertation – Thinking Through Making
