Garden Art

Copper water feature.
Formed using the ancient art of repousse - using hammer and punches over a block of pitch, chasing lines, creating detail then repeating the operation to the desired depth and finish. This goblin is made from a sheet of copper 1.6mm thick and is 500mm x 500mm square. Water is pumped through his mouth descending into two small pools below and circulated continuously. The copper mask was installed polished but is being left to naturally develop a verdigris finish. Private commission for a house in the centre of Truro.

Wrought sculptural fish column.
This sculpture stands some 2.7m high and is made from individually cut, dressed, textured, curved by forging fish profiles. They start at the base by 'swimming' on a 'sea bed', ascending towards the 'surface' and then there are herring gulls atop the structure. The protective finish applied is suitable for external siting making this feature durable in exposed and coastal gardens. Private commission for an estate in Mylor.

Mermaid
Commissioned for a detached house in Rock, North Cornwall, this garden gate-top sculpture depicts the legend of the mermaid on the Doom Bar in the Camel Estuary luring ships to their demise. Indeed, in this setting she overlooks the very spot! Forged entirely from iron, complete with sharks jawbone with which to comb her tresses, this graceful figure also depicts the letter 'S' with her tail - a link with the family name for whom it was privately commissioned.

Handrail to steps
A double curve within a curve for these steps was a challenge for this totally traditional handrail. Vertical posts from 25mm diameter solid iron were upset at the top end and hot punched by hand to thread the 20mm diameter handrail through. The next challenge was diamond drilling the granite steps as these were harder than 'usual'! The uprights were threaded on the handrail, all set up vertical, then set in molten lead.

'Helix II'
A graceful sculpture, tapered throughout its length and then heated and forged into a perfect overlapping circular form. As work progressed on this iron structure, the weight increased as the 40mm x 40mm solid iron billet was shaped, the energy and radiant heat also increasing as the work progressed. To finish this piece it was sprayed periodically with hydrochloric acid for many days, the neutralized when the desired depth of corrosion was reached. All was then polished with beeswax made by the bees here at Lower Boquio Farm, then mounted on a block of raw Cornish granite. Private commission for a family in Oxford.