I have been 'drawing in steel', creating life size welded steel sculptures of animals, birds and people for over a decade now. Starting with initial measuring and referencing the anatomy, I make sure that the main proportions are correct. Then I am able to let the lines of steel intuitively flow, with echoes and rhythms that go beyond muscle and sinew. (Please see images showing the making of my 'Galloping Thoroughbred'.)

My ‘Eagle’ sculpture, seen catching a fish on a pyramid base is a creative progression for me I believe. I wanted to make an eagle in steel as it is a subject I love and was something I hadn't made before in this medium. Would I be able to capture the power, grace and beauty of this incredible bird? Because of the position of the eagle I needed to incorporate a supportive base, yet I wanted the base to be an integral part of the work. At first I thought of suggesting a branch or something equally organic but then a simple pyramid shape came to mind, something that would be structurally stable yet interestingly different to the bird and fish. I needed to strengthen the large pyramid, a smaller inverted one seemed to be a good solution and I enjoyed the geometric symmetry and structure. Although I quite liked this I needed to somehow unify and bring these elements together so that the sculpture became a unified whole. I decided to create two curves which came together to suggest a wave, a suitable platform for the unfortunate fish. As with all sculpture I needed it to work from every angle and I stopped as soon as I felt additional pieces might be superfluous. I like the viewers eye to fill in the details.

The 'Eagle' is currently on exhibition at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, Romsey