My latest work focuses on gargoyles. These stone carved medieval creatures grace churches across Western Europe and are functional (they are basically waterspouts), beautifully crafted and each is unique. The variety of strange hybrid animals, humans and demons is enormous, and reasoning behind their bizarre forms is a mystery, in stark contrast with the conventional religious figures in the foreground. But age, weather and climate change is destroying them. Many are literally crumbling to dust. I am making a series of pieces inspired by these glorious creatures to preserve their existence before the originals decay completely.
I didn’t realise at the time, but these fellows were the pre-cursors to my gargoyle collection, made for fun between projects when I was studying for my HND.
I learned this “wall plaque” technique from the talented James Ort at his gorgeous Phoenix Studios in Oxfordshire.