Arc of Angels

This is the Arc of Angels by sculptor Rick Kirby. It is in a new housing estate at Portishead which is about 15mins drive off the M5 near Bristol. We visit each time we're passing on our way to Devon. I really love his treatment of the figure; made up of small pieces of iron which allows some light through and gives a delicate quality contrasting with the rusty patina. It looks as though each figure is identical and the way they link through their fingertips creates a beautiful rhythmic composition. I find these figures even more satisfying than Anthony Gormley's.

stone carving

I started this carving last summer, the stone is one of two pieces I picked up whilst visiting Dorset. It's Purbeck stone from St Aldhelm's Quarry, apparently the same stone used in the building of Salisbury Cathedral. It was an eventful drive back up the quarry lane with those lumps in the boot of my car! As a crystalline limestone it's relatively easy to carve whilst being hard enough to hold a crisp edge. I'm aiming for a simple torso with a gentle contrapposto..... well, that's the idea anyway.

some favourites

These are two of my favourite sculptures, (after the work of Rodin and Maillol of course) they're by Andrea Carlo Lucchesi; a Victorian whose work was more naturalistic than neo-classical. They are in the grounds at Chirk Castle, a National Trust property near Wrexham. I love these pieces and insist on photographing them each time I visit, I love their simple clean lines, taut and beautifully balanced.

YouTube - You're Gonna Miss Me, Lulu and the Lampshades

YouTube
- You're Gonna Miss Me, Lulu and the Lampshades

work in progress

This is Llyod Le Blanc putting finishing touches to Lizzie, this guy is a great sculptor himself and is extremely knowledgeable about bronze casting; having set up and run several foundries in his native Canada and over here in the UK. He is now based just outside Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire, have a look at www.leblancfineart.com

The photos above show the piece being metal-worked and having the final patination applied so that it looks a bit like an old penny - alchemy or what!

Claire and the Band

These photos were taken at a recent gig, I am very privileged to play bass in this band with two of my three sons; my eldest, Ben plays lead and sings as you can see, and my youngest son, Nathan plays piano and sings too. My other son Adam is indispensable as roadie! The vocalist Claire is an old colleague and friend from Hays with a super voice, and we have an even older friend Ben 2 playing on drums. We only do covers these days, including: Blondie, Sheryl Crowe, Shakira, Queen, ABBA, B52s etc. We have a lot of fun and only do enough gigs to ensure it doesn't spoil our enjoyment of playing live - I love this stuff!

work in progress

This piece was started a couple of years ago based on some drawings I made of a model called Emma. It was made in clay on a simple wire armature, I liked the structure of the pose and it worked reasonably well from most angles. I wasn't very happy with the surface finish so I had a resin cast made by a nice chap I know called John Harvey at Wickmere near Holt in north Norfolk. This is basically car body filler and is easy to work to a smooth, even finish which I find more satisfactory.

I have prevaricated over the months and haven't yet committed this piece to casting, hey ho, maybe I'll take the plunge this year, we'll see...........