CONSULTING & BRAINSTORMING
Taking great care to meet my clients needs, I discuss their vision with them in person. I like to create a vision board of what styles they like and get a sense of their taste and preferences. If they have a particular place in mind for installation, I photograph the area and take measurements to perfect the final size of the piece. Once the base idea has been agreed upon, I set to work.
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When working on a personal piece I will often just go to nature until a specific creature comes to mind, asking to be made. I follow my gut and tinker with making a wire doodle of the creature.
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SKETCHING & PROTOTYPING
Once I have a solid vision of the clients desires, I work on sketches of different poses and styles. Then the client picks a favorite, off of which I make a miniature model of the final piece. This ensures that the client is able to make comments and ask for changes on the final piece.
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If I'm doing a solo piece I use a bendable wire prototype or an anatomically correct model as a hands-on reference for scaling up the piece. This keeps everything in proportion, making the final piece look believable. I use the wire to mimic the muscle and bone structure of the creature so I can play with how it would move and look. This ensures that the final piece feels alive, rather than just a static statue. When working with sheet metal, I often will diagram the shapes using paper to get an idea of how the metal will crease and bend.
CREATING THE CREATURE
Once a prototype has been perfected, I use it to calculate the size of the final piece. Utilizing a grid based system I can then scale up the prototype into workable sections. These sections are then drafted onto sheet metal, cut out and then hammered and bent into shape.
When working with wire, I will start bending the wire by hand, twisting it in fluid shapes or cutting several lengths of wire to form an organic pattern. Using small tack-welds I will fuse the wire to itself, usually starting with the body of the creature and then working up the neck to the head. Small characteristic details, such as whiskers and eyes are saved for very end. For me, this is the moment they truly come to life.
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FINISHING & INSTALLATION
Upon finishing the last details of the work, I set to chemically clean or sandblast the sculpture - preparing it for paint. Depending on the clients' preferences, and whether the work will be kept indoors or outdoors, I will treat and seal the sculpture. In many cases, either Rust-oleum or a similar finish will be painted on top of a primer. However, for some pieces, I will use chemical sprays on the metal to form a patina. The patina will then be sealed with a layer of clear coat. An alternative method is to let nature to affect the metal, allowing it to rust.
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Last but not the least comes installation. For many public works I was provided with stands that the works could be welded upon. For client work however, I fashion a custom base for suspension, ground, wall or any other display method.
