Artist Statement
I work with chicken wire, making mostly full size figurative animal sculptures which are designed to live in the garden (though I know a couple of people who keep their wire piglets indoors). The shiny wire mellows to a soft grey which sits gently in the landscape.
I was trained in ceramics and always liked modelling with clay: nothing comes near it for malleability and surface texture but it is very heavy and to work on a large scale requires great skill and better facilities than I have. Chicken wire sculpture is strong and light and is easy to transport with the minimum of packaging, and has a rather charming quality of translucence. I like to give the individuals as much movement as I can, and it's surprising how much character is added with a tail or ears. I always start with drawing, from photographs on the internet or from my own collection, and the sketches are pinned on the wall of my workshop as reference. I try to capture the essence of an animal, which has, as I've discovered, a lot to do with the stance. I work with pliers, wire cutters, a metal hook, a favourite stick, fencing Hog Rings and a good strong pair of industrial gloves with which I stretch, squeeze, cut and fix the wire until it reaches a point when I know it is finished.
