My younger brother succumbed to his Glioblastoma last October. So much of my last 18 months have been dictated by his needs and trying to mitigate his suffering and now that he's gone there is the vacuum of both Toms' absence – him as the vibrant, quick witted and fun-loving chap that he always was and him as the patient. His adoring wife, Claire and two lovely kids, Lottie and William are finding their way without their anchor and we, as the wider family, are doing what we can to remind them whenever possible that they are part of the fabric of our lives as well.
With that in mind I will be auctioning the centrepiece of my Christmas exhibition, Snowflake and her 150 year old bench, in support of Claire and my niece and nephew. The mechanics are simple – click on the auction link below which will take you to a fresh page where you will be prompted to enter your name, email address and the bid amount. I will confirm the details by email within 24 hours. The auction will close on the evening of Sunday 8 December.
Onto my Exhibition! I have been working on a small number of quirky pieces that are a little experimental in nature! Enter Dexter the Shark, a big boy with a healthy appetite. Although a little out of his water he is still very much at home gliding through his garden floating effortlessly as he searches for a bite.
Always on the lookout to add drama to my birds, I've made my first Golden Eagle suspended by her tail feathers. Designed to anchor onto any existing wall (she comes with a special boring device to assist with drilling the 3 aligned holes required to anchor her should a client prefer this option) I later added a stainless steel column to allow her to free stand in any environment, either in or outdoors. I have applied a dark patina to the marine grade stainless steel to tone down the polished metal.
Definitely my best bust to date; my bust of a Highland Cow is a personal favourite of mine with character jumping out of every hard-to-find piece of curly driftwood!
I am really excited by my new hares – I am using 19th century sleeper ties from the steam driven sugarcane railroads – interestingly all from the same specie of wood that I use for my animals. I fashion the ties into columns to elevate my hares. My favourite is the Corkscrew Hare. How I happened across a corkscrew shaped sleeper is a story for another day. Look carefully at the plinths and you will notice the 150 year old iron nails that are still embedded in the wood. It's a testament to the quality of iron used in those days that the nails are hardly rusted!
I no longer make miniature sculptures for sale but I do every so often offer a maquette from my personal collection. Featured below are "Infant of Poseidon" and "the Dubai Cup". Both are maquettes from my Chelsea Flower Show 2020 mock-up. You might guess from the maquette's name that I have made a Renaissance inspired monumental installation labelled the Coming of Age of the Infants of Poseidon for my 2020 Chelsea Flower Show. Think lots of water, 4m elevation, presence and a fair splash of serious drama!
Last but not least I have made a limited 10 piece edition of 3 sculptures that fall within a price range more compatible with Christmas budgets! Meet the Cheeky Mouse cheeseboard which features a finely sanded Kiln dried cheeseboard again made from the same specie of long dead wood inhabited by a little mouse. Prince Charming is built on a stainless-steel base and good for in as well as outdoors. Finally, 10 little piglets leaning on their Christmas log complete the line up!
Complete details of all the sculptures mentioned above can be found in the Latest Work part of my website. If you need any other info on the sculptures please do drop me an email.
All pieces are available to view at the Harleyford Golf Club in Marlow Buckinghamshire from the end of November. The golf club is very kindly hosting an evening by invitation on Sunday 8 December where I will be giving a short talk on the making of the world's largest driftwood animal sculpture – a Journey of Giraffes. For more details of the Golf Club and the evening please do contact Leah on
The Harleyford Golf Club have been so supportive especially over the period of Tom's illness - I am so thankful to Rob, Alex, Jack and the whole team for all of their help.
Wishing you a peaceful Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year full of fun and friendship.