Working with wood is a never-ending adventure. Each piece is conditioned by the particularities of its species, but also where and how it grew – wind, rain, orientation, seasonal variations. Each piece is an expression of these hidden pasts. Unravelling this secret life of trees is an obsession for artists of all types. My interest is in unwrapping the in the sculptural qualities of wood – of giving expression to the particular character of each piece.

My approach tends to be subtractive rather than additive – I like to excavate material from a single piece, carefully shaping the contours until it has revealed something of itself. I never start with a preconceived idea, I always begin by handling the material until it reveals a way forward. The tools I use inform the final expression – a straight rasp, finer riffler rasps and a hole saw. The hole saw is more transgressive and allows me to core deeper into the material, giving me focal point of which I work around. Much of the material I work with is found on the forest floor, full of imperfections.

To supplement the studies in wood, I use a collage technique to explore form in two dimensions. The is allows me to distill the ideas and work out areas of tension, compression and release. I also sketch ideas constantly, twisting and turning forms until I have a better understanding of balance.