My first love-life was horses. I never owned one but never grew out of my horse-mad teens so I trained to be a riding instructor. My first job was riding very highly strung and valuable young horses for one of the great figures of Three Day Eventing - Sheila Willcox. From there I ran a trekking centre, leading city kids out across the Welsh mountains on muddy, hairy ponies. I taught exam students on ex-racehorses, warm bloods and cobs and finally, took care of four mighty Shire horses for Friends of the Earth's first recycling project in Bristol city centre.

 

The relationships I formed with these different types of horses was through energy and 'feel', from which came trust and a connection that created in me a state I can only describe as bliss. That bliss is what my most important sculpture, Cordoba, is about.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

My second life became folk fiddle after hearing the Bothy Band in my late 20's, since when I've dedicated myself to learning the music. I taught myself at home from LP's and cassette tapes and by making a nuisance of myself at Irish pub sessions where committed beginners are famously made welcome. Over the following 30 years I've played pubs, private parties, benefit gigs, Glastonbury and WOMAD festivals and now locally, at hotels around Kenmare. I'm still astonished at how similar horse riding and fiddle playing are, how both benefit from that same Zen-like state of mind that can engender that same bliss.

 

The music lead me eventually to move to Ireland where I've played and taught professionally now for over two decades.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

​​

My third life began 20 years ago when I discovered, quite out of the blue, that I could sculpt. I was making tiny items to go on my parents' 50th wedding anniversary cake and was astonished to see the tiny walking boots all but walk off the icing. YouTube taught me how to work the clay, my past Iives how to exercise patience and I've been sculpting ever since.

 

I recreate in 3D, the bliss of that unique connection between horse and ethical rider and the bliss of music making in those precious highly focused ego-free moments. I honour the beauty of the wild horse, of cats being cats, of the nursing Jenny with her foal, of a dear friend with his fiddle and of the 'happy' donkey, that side that many never see.

​

​