A 3d sketch model or ‘maquette’ allows me to change and improve what I see in my head. This might be:

– to better fit a future statue to its intended site – creating stronger views in the round.

– to check whether elements need to be introduced or removed.

– to find new and interesting lines and shapes, or strengthening the intended emphasis.

– Rehoming my staffie Asha from the wonderful Battersea Dogs and Cats home,

– rehabilitating Alice the injured roe deer, here on our farm,

– photographing natural coloured wool threads in streams in Scotland,

– living amongst the eclectic rescue and guest animals (for modelling sculptures from) at my parents house, including otters and snakes!

I would like to experience more animals in the wild outside of the UK. Having the financial means to do this can be challenging for an artist! 

But there are also more accessible goals, such as taking regular walks in nature. This has become much easier since our move to Wales, but importantly too, it is absolutely free – and yet still one of the most beneficial things for my art. Not only that, but it replenishes our sense of wellbeing, and our love of natural things. It is a constant reminder of the power of the visual arts – of bringing things into people’s view, and reminding them of the importance of our world and its creatures.

I apprenticed for 7 years with my parents, sculptors Lorne McKean FRBS and Edwin Russell FRBS.

There are actually several well known UK sculptors who apprenticed with them, including Simon Buchanan, Simon Cooley, Joanna Migdal and Alex Watts.

Mum was once described in the Telegraph as one of the world’s greatest equestrian sculptors, and Dad’s public sun sculptures are displayed around the world.

While my parents were both great sculptors, it was a very challenging environment to learn in. And though it was hard, I believe it granted me my strong determination to use all the time I got to make art – and it gifted me with the skills I could use to truly express myself through my sculpting.

I understand why some viewers would compare my contemporary styled figures to those of the amazing Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966).

However, when I think about how I started sculpting figures – I first think of my admiration for Egyptian figurative sculpture. I love so much the simplicity and finesse of outline, conveying so much so strongly, with so little apparent effort. Of course, this is deceptive, like watching a swan gliding over water. The skill and thought in the pieces is astounding. Traditional funerary art in particular is so steeped in meaning and symbology, it seems really appropriate to draw upon for the environmental themes and intent in my artwork.  

Where I have freedom to choose my texturing I often choose a looser style, allowing greater evidence of maker’s marks. It has great capacity for creating colour (depths and darks) on the surface of artwork that must often be appreciated from a distance, and could easily from that distance become flat.

This method is drawn from my sculpting of animals, where these kind of marks can also inject dynamism and movement into a statue which is, after all, still. Capturing the vivacity in an animal seems impossible, but every mark left by a finger, each incision, flat or texture is like an infinitesimal attempt to wrestle a little big of that life into a sculpture.

Together, the Egyptian stillness of the figures and the chaotic ‘live’liness of the marks is an uneasy juxtaposition. The semi-abstract style is intended to allow the viewer to inhabit the figures if they choose. And, the theme is meant to bring a fresh consideration of the very personal relationship between people, animals and our world.

I sculpt in wax or clay. Both materials are malleable, so can be worked by hand, or using hand tools. The sculptures will later be cast in Bronze Resin or Foundry Bronze metal, but these are not the original sculpting materials.

Water-based clay is soft and so it a wonderful materials for creating loose texturing and natural-looking marks. However, it dries out when exposed to air, so must be carefully covered and kept damp, (but not too wet, or it will collapse).

Clay is generally not appropriate for modelling smaller sculptures or narrow parts of large ones, such as ears or antlers. In these cases it may be better to use a synthetic wax, which will not dry out, but will usually be harder (and so harder to work with and texture).

No – while clay can be fired in a kiln (though wax cannot), I do not create ceramics – I model, mould and cast into foundry bronze and bronze resin.

My original clay or wax sculpture is actually destroyed in the moulding process (unlike a ceramic, where the original clay survives, being baked in a kiln to create the finished piece).

Simply put, the advantage of this technique is that a mould will allow an edition, a run of copies, to be made. This enables me to price statues more affordably, because the cost of my time and the moulding can be spread over the edition. In comparison, a unique fired ceramic might require a high price to pay for the artist’s time through one sale, despite the material itself not being valuable.

The statues available to buy are mainly made of either Foundry Bronze metal, or of Bronze Resin.

In some instances, I also provide sculptures made of Stainless Steel, Iron Resin and other types of resin, and also bronze plated with silver or gold.

I pick materials that are hard-wearing, as almost all my larger sculptures are designed to go outside, in the garden. So it is important that the statue’s material is weather-resistant and will last a long time. 

All the statues are sculpted by me in clay or wax in my studio in the UK.

They are then moulded, either here, most likely by mould maker Al Maddocks, or when they are taken to a resin-caster or bronze foundry in the UK.

My ‘cold cast’ Bronze Resin sculptures are made by either Carter Mouldings (Somerset, UK), Opus Studio (Somerset, UK) or Graeme Lougher (Surrey, UK).

My Foundry Bronze metal statues are made by either Art of a Fine Nature (Somerset, UK), Castle Foundry (Gloucestershire, UK), Milwyn Foundry (Surrey, UK), Paul Kennedy Studio (Shropshire, UK), The Lost Foundry (Devon, UK).

Stainless steel sculptures are made by Lockbund Foundry (Oxfordshire, UK).

In the case of the largest Foundry Bronze public sculptures, these may be made by HVH Foundry (Czech Republic, EU)

The “lost wax” method is a very, very old traditional method of casting metal. It involves the ‘loss’ or melting out of wax from a cavity, into which molten metal may be poured.

Bronze metal has long been a favourite for casting because, as an alloy of copper and tin, it is liquid enough when heated to a high temperature that it will ‘run’ and fill the extremities of an intricate mould.

Bronze is also a traditional favourite for its colour, and because it does not corrode like other metals when exposed to weather as outdoor sculpture.

Hot metal of any type will burn and destroy a rubber mould, however. So part of the bronze casting process involves casting wax sculpture from the rubber mould, and then using the wax to create a new, one-use ceramic mould. 

This new ceramic mould will be heat-resistant, so heat can be used to melt the wax out of it, and then hot molten metal can be poured inside. 

When this metal has cooled the one-use ceramic mould can be chipped off, leaving the cast metal sculpture.

The time it takes to make a sculpture depends on the size, on the length of time designing it before I start, on the level of detail, on the number of amendments needed, and on the time taken to mould, cast and finish your statue.

Broadly a lifesize dog sculpture might take one month to sculpture, a month to mould and three months to cast. A large public statue might take much longer. While strangely, a small mantlepiece-size sculpture takes roughly the same time as a life-sized dog sculpture – the detail is much the same, but modelled using smaller tools! 

Usually, I have several sculptures in progress at any one time. This allows me to keep my eye fresh, so my perception of how the modelling is progressing isn’t blinded by looking at one sculpture for too long. 

Additionally, if I have several commissions scheduled, it may take some time to reach a newer commission. This is why I currently expect it to take 15 months to create a bespoke statue. 

I’d be very interested in hearing from you – wildlife and domestic animal commissions do get preferential rates and I’d be really happy to speak about sculpting your idea for you.

Click here for more information on custom animal sculptures and get in touch with me for a quote.

I can. Unique statues are most common for large public statues – where a company or council’s budget can pay for artist’s time and the mould making for the one unique sculpture.

For many commissioners, this cost would be too much, and they welcome the ability to spread the cost. So if the sculptor assumes they might sell four or five copies of the sculpture later (hopefully more!) then they can split some of the costs over the next few assumed sales.

While the commissioner may still pay more than a later buyer, they are receiving edition 1 of a totally bespoke statue, and by accepting an edition, they have achieved a more affordable price.

Unique sculptures are generally about 4 times more expensive than sculptures with an edition. But, if it is important that your development, home or company stand out with a unique piece of artwork that beautifully summarises what makes your site, an edition 1 of 1 statue might be perfect. Here is a link to my public sculpture commissions page.

No, I do not teach any more.

I founded The Art Academy in London, and I taught the skills I’d been privileged to learn from seven years apprenticing with my sculptor parents.

I now focus on my art practice full time, and happily have my hands full, so no longer teach. Though two books have many of the lessons I learned and taught – ‘Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure’, also available in German and French, and ‘The Artist’s Manual’.

Bronze Resin – bronze metal powder is mixed with a resin to create the appearance of foundry bronze metal, but is more affordable and lightweight.

Foundry Bronze metal  – refers to the poured molten metal that is cast solid or hollow, depending on size, at a bronze foundry (using the traditional lost wax process). It is more robust and will appreciate in value.

You can tell whether a sculpture is Foundry Bronze metal by:
– the sound,
– and the colour,
– but not always by temperature,
– and not always by the weight.

Learn more about the difference between ‘cold cast’ Bronze Resin and Foundry Bronze metal here…

While on the sculpture page, click the button to place a sculpture in the bag. This will take you to a checkout page that will show you shipping costs, and can calculate any additional costs like customs you may wish to consider before you purchase.

We accept debit cards and credit cards, including American Express, through Stripe or through Paypal’s card payment function.

You can pay directly by bank transfer.

You can pay using a Paypal account.

We can take a payment over the phone, but we must first create your invoice as we use the same payment link that you would use to pay for a card payment. We can arrange a time to pay over the phone with you in advance.

We accept cheques for commissions, but aren’t able to accept cheques for normal sales internationally.

A statue in the materials I offer can appear expensive because of the type of material it is made in.

More affordable materials include cast iron, concrete and fabricated steel as the making of these is cheaper, and the skills needed aren’t often quite so high. The biggest problem is, those materials don’t tend to capture a lot of detail.

Traditionally Foundry Bronze metal was the outdoor material that lasted the longest (centuries) but also captured extremely detailed sculpting marks, down to the lines in the sculptor’s fingerprint.

While I do provide traditional Foundry Bronze metal sculptures, (which are a lot more expensive,) the Bronze Resin material is a modern imitation material that uses Bronze powder and resin to create a sculpture that looks very similar to a bronze metal sculpture in colour, that still has the really high level of modelling detail. It is also still pretty robust material and is designed to last outdoors for 20 years.

The skills needed to cast sculpture, including Bronze Resin, are reasonably rare, which means it isn’t cheap to make. Also, you are paying for my experience in finding the right casters. Like anything, statues can be made quite badly (air bubbles, uncured resin, lack of reinforcement, bad seam lines, or the filler or reinforcing inside missing, are all things I have seen), and I use all my experience to ensure I provide the best-made sculpture to my clients.

As artwork is relatively fragile where courier handling is concerned, they aren’t easy to ship, and so the box they travel in is quite large.

The sculpture is also made by an artist, rather than a company – and that tends to mean the price is higher than something made by a factory.

Also, an individual artist’s reputation makes it cost a bit more, but you are generally getting something that looks better.

There are positives though, other than what I hope is a lovely, high-quality sculpture:
I try to ensure my clients are happy, so you aren’t taking risks with shipping and not hearing back if it gets lost or damaged. If in a couple of years it becomes obvious I missed some kind of defect, I’m not going to leave you stuck. Because I sort all that out.

With larger outdoor statues you’ll also receive a complimentary care box and care instructions, (minus the wax tin as they don’t like liquids on the plane), and I’m really happy for you to get in touch anytime in the future about caring for your statue. I also donate 10% of all my sales proceeds to animal charities, and in this case that goes directly to helping rescue dogs from really difficult circumstances.

Yes, we can take a payment over the phone.

Some people prefer to pay for a sculpture over the phone, for security reasons, or because they seldom use a computer.

When you pay over the phone, we must first create your invoice as we will input the information using the same payment link that you would normally use to pay for a card payment.

We can arrange a time to pay over the phone with you in advance.

If you are happy to receive a payment link by text, this is also possible too.

USA

– Zero US customs fees.

– For large statues, expect a small storage fee of $100 USD while customs checks the shipment.

UK 

– UK sales tax (VAT) of 20%

– No customs duties, fees or taxes.

Northern Ireland

– Import sales tax of 20% will be charged

European Union  (Including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal, Denmark)

– Import sales tax will be charged of around 20%

– An ‘administration fee’ of about 15 euros is likely

Canada

– State import sales tax will be charged of around 15% (depending on the state)

Australia

– Import sales tax will be charged of around 10%

New Zealand

– Import sales tax will be charged of around 15%

Norway & Sweden

– Import sales tax will be charged of around 25%

United Arab Emirates

– Customs duties of around 5%

– Import sales tax of around 5%

If you are in the UK, we are happy to provide the sculpture and return it for a refund minus return shipping, so that you are able to see whether it works in your garden or home.

There are places you may be able to see the sculpture you are interested. Get in touch to find out more. 

At different times we exhibit sculptures in the UK at:

– Carmarthenshire, Llandovery (our studio)

– Gloucestershire, Cirencester – Cotswolds Contemporary

– Gloucestershire, Somerford Keynes – Cotswolds Sculpture Park (garden)

– Gloucestershire, Tetbury – Wadham Trading

– Kent, Tunbridge Wells – Artique Gallery

– Lincolnshire, Doddington – Doddington Hall (garden)

– Lincolnshire, Stamford – Adrian Hill Gallery

– London, Adrian Hill Gallery at the British Art Fair 

– Norfolk, Holt – Adrian Hill Gallery

– Northumberland, Newcastle – Aura Fine Art

– Nottinghamshire, Nottingham – Aura Fine Art

– Oxfordshire, Burford – Cotswold Contemporary

– Pembrokeshire, Newport – The Gallery Yr Oriel

– Powys, Hay-on-Wye – Lion Street Gallery

– Somerset, Bruton – Moorwood Art (garden)

– Suffolk, Helmingham – Art for Cure (garden)

– Surrey, Churt – The Sculpture Park (garden)

– Warwickshire, Stratford-Upon-Avon – Aura Fine Art

It is not safe everywhere to order a statue online.

There are two common protections: firstly, if you look at the top bar in your browser window and find the website address (or URL) you will see a padlock icon.

The padlock (called https) shows firstly that information passed to and from your computer and the website is encrypted. Making it harder for a hacker to steal your card details. It also shows that the person setting up the website has been checked by a company that specialising in verifying that they are not providing fake details.

Secondly, using secure payment systems (like Stripe or Paypal) will provide an extra layer of security for your sculpture payment. These tools prevent important card information like your security code from being handled by the website itself.

Lastly, you may wish to consider placing your order using a credit card. Most credit cards provide a private individual additional security for your payment.

You can take other common sense steps too if you aren’t sure, like:

– Call the artist

– If you are ordering from another country, ask if they have any protections in place to help ensure you receive your sculpture and ask what happens about breakages or returns

– Type the website’s address into a website trust score tool, online

You are very welcome to get in touch to change your statue delivery address.

Please let us know as soon as possible, as it is very easy to change the address before the sculpture leaves. It is very difficult to change the address once the statue is already in transit. 

Yes, you can cancel your statue order.

Please get in touch as soon as possible, as will might be able to prevent the sculpture being shipped to you.

The statues are handmade and weight can vary. However, if you get in touch to ask about the sculpture’s weight, we can weigh it for you and let you know (in both metric kilogrammes and imperial pounds).

If you are asking about the weight because you are thinking about how heavy the statue is to move, then please let us know that. Similarly, if you are thinking about the weight because you are concerned about whether the sculpture could be blown over in the wind, please tell us. We will be able to give you a more in-depth answer and better advice if you can let us know why you would like to know the weight of the statue.

Yes, I can turn a lifesized dog into a female or a male for a small fee, though it would need to be a new casting so you would have to wait for about 8 weeks.

I generally can’t make an existing sculpture look more like your dog. For example, I cannot change the size. This is because the sculpture will be cast from a mould of a pre-existing sculpture and will come out looking the same each time. 

But there are some small exceptions – so it is still worth asking.

For some ‘cold cast’ Bronze Resin statues I might be able to shorten the statue’s tail.

There is a slightly greater range of things I can change when you order a Foundry Bronze metal sculpture. This is because there is an additional casting stage – the wax stage. Wax is malleable, so some alternations might be achieved. 

If you contact me then I will be able to talk through what amendments might be possible. Amendments do cost extra, but I can quote for that extra work, so that you have all the information you need to make your decision.

I am not able to change the size of a sculpture, or make a large or smaller version of something without making a new sculpture.

However, I am happy to quote for a bespoke commission like this.

The reason for this limitation is that the sculpture you are looking at is a copy of an original statue made of clay or wax. This malleable original was destroyed when a mould was taken of it. Copies can be made using the mould, but these copies cannot be reduced in size or enlarged.

For a larger or smaller sculpture, I would need to create a brand new sculpture, and this requires additional costs – the artist’s sculpting time, and the mould-making. It also takes a while to do – at the moment I have about 15 months of work, so I would not be able to finish something before then.

If you are interested, then I can talk about this with you – you may have some ideas that would improve your appreciation of the sculpture – and might prefer a more customised sculpture commission anyway.

Choosing a statue involves considering several factors, including:

– How much you or a giftee will enjoy having it

– Price

– The quality of the sculptor’s modelling

– The quality of the casting

– Longevity and maintenance requirements

– And possible future increase in value

Certainly, I’d be happy to hear from you.

I generally limit myself to exhibiting through physical UK galleries, as managing the transportation of my artwork is much easier. I do exhibit online, through international galleries and platforms. 

For your information, I do not normally show at short fortnight or month-long exhibitions. Nor do I pay for gallery space, shows or stands at fairs. This is simply because I already show at a lot of lovely galleries!

If you would like to contact me, it would be great if you could let me know your terms and conditions when you email.

It would also be very helpful if you could give me an idea of the style or type of sculpture you feel your clients would respond well to, and ideally, the kind of price range that you sell most work at, so I can help work out what might work best for you.

Please be very careful when you see significantly cheaper prices for a statue on another website. If the difference is large, it is a scam – someone has taken photos of this website and used them to advertise a fake, or even non-existent products.

We make a promise to our galleries that the price will be the same everywhere.

Legitimate reasons for small differences in price are:

– differences in shipping costs

– differences in exchange rates

– unusual ways a website calculates taxes

Please avoid any statues on Amazon that look like a company has listed it (often Chinese companies). Please avoid websites that look like online marketplaces that you have never used before. Never, ever, buy from a website with no contact information, or address information. 

I’m very sorry to hear that you have ordered a sculpture that isn’t what you expected. 

If you suspect you have been the victim of a counterfeit, or scam – please notify google so that they can take down the website. Here are some ways that you can do this.

I’d be grateful to hear what happened so I can take a look at what you received and report the site. 

When we send you your sculpture we will provide you with a tracking number. This will either be a courier tracking number (like Fedex), which you can look up on their site, or it will be a parcel broker tracking number (such as Transglobal Express, or World Options), which you can also look up on their website.

If you have not received your package and the tracking information has not updated for several days, please get in touch. It may be stuck, and couriers are very bad at communicating why.

There are several things that we can try to get it moving again.

If a sculpture is small and can be put in a cardboard box, our time to pack and send it is likely to be only three or four working days.

A larger sculpture that needs to be crated, or we intend to hand deliver, may take a week or two to send.

Broadly the fastest delivery is to the UK and the USA. This might only be a few days. For the largest dog- sized sculptures and even larger sculptures, delivery may take several weeks.

My largest sculptures like the Stag, which cannot travel air freight, must travel by sea. Sea freight may take a month or potentially three if you are far away from the UK.

If your sculpture is damaged or lost in transport we will offer you the choice of a replacement, or a full refund.

This may require a return at our cost, depending on the damage and the cost of return delivery if international.

In the majority of cases, we will be able to replace the sculpture quickly. However, if a replacement sculpture is not available immediately, then we will make it for you. We will provide an estimated completion time, so you will be able to make an informed decision about what you would like to do.

If you live outside of the UK and it appears the damage is cosmetic, then we may speak with you about whether you would be willing for us to send the sculpture to an experienced local resin caster or bronze foundry for an opinion. If we are satisfied that a repair will be stronger than the original pieces, and the longevity of the sculpture will not be impacted, we will speak to you about whether you are happy for us to pay for the repair, or would prefer the replacement or the full refund.

I would love to hear from you if you have had good or bad feedback about your sculpture or your delivery. 

It is really important that we keep trying to improve our client’s experience and hearing from you is the quickest way to find out if something is working badly, or well!

Your feedback will be looked at directly by myself or my husband, so if you have anything you’d like to say it will definitely be heard.

I also really love to receive photos of your statue in situ!

If you cannot see a signature on your sculpture, please let me know and I will either help you find it. Or, in the very unlikely event it hasn’t been signed, I will arrange a return and replacement.

There is a chance that my oldest sculptures did not have a signature, and only a certificate of authenticity. If this is the case for your sculpture and you have misplaced the certificate or you do not think you received one, please get in touch. I will send you a replacement certificate of authenticity, and a complimentary cleaning kit too. 

Yes, you can certainly arrrange to collect your sculpture from my studio. The address is in mid-Wales, in the United Kingdom – Moelfre, Cynghordy, Llandovery SA20 0UW.

Let me know in advance that you would like to collect your statue and we can arrange a time that will suit you.

Please tell me if you plan to order multiple sculptures, there should be some savings on the delivery if they can be transported in the same box and I would love to pass these on to you.

This is a general guide to installing my statues on pre-existing concrete using standard fixings of threaded rod and glue.

All the glues below are appropriate, but some are better for different installations. The choice of glue you use among other factors, such as temperature, damp and strength required, is
dependent on how fast you would like it to cure. If you want a lot of time to make sure it is correct then the Tenax type glue would be better. If you are confident about the installation and you have done all the pre-checks before final applying glue then the other 2 types of glue, that premix in the nozzle would be much easier to use:
– SikaAnchorFix®-1 – Quite fast, reliable, easy mix adhesive.

– Easyfix Kempsc 175ef – Quite fast, reliable, easy mix adhesive. Good for damp conditions

– Tenax Domo 10 – much longer curing time, strong, weather resistance, less easy mixing and application

Required for installation:

– Pencil

– Padding to protect sculpture

– Hammer drill

– Masonry drill bits

– Something to clean dust from drilled holes (the drill bits used slowly, a cloth, your mouth to blow, or compressed air)

– Enough helpers to easily handle the statue

– Small tool/spatula and cloth or paper to clean any errant glue. 

– If using the Tenax glue – mixing pots and spatulas for placing in the holes

Installation guide:

1. Familiarise yourself with the threaded rods and their receptors underneath the sculpture. While checking the underside, rest the sculpture on a padded surface to prevent scratching.

2. Place the sculpture in required positions without the threaded rods in the holes. 

3. Move and rotate the sculpture around until you are absolutely happy with the orientation and position.

4. Check that the sculpture is sitting flat. If the concrete is not level, then you may need to use spacers to level it. Spacers should be of a robust material like stone, hard plastic, or stainless steel.

5. Once all checks are complete, accurately mark the concrete at several places on outside edge of sculpture. Mark a directional arrow following a tail or outstretched limb. 

6. Remove sculpture and place threaded rods into receptors on base.

7. Lift sculpture into place on concrete and mark location of the threaded rods on concrete. If any threaded rods are clearly not vertical, extend the circular marking into an oval in the direction of the lean back upwards to the receptor. This hole will need to be drilled using a larger diameter bit.

8. Remove sculpture and drill holes to the required depth of the pins.

9. Remove as much dust from the hole as possible (do not use water, use the drill bit a cloth, blowing, or compressed air, keep the hole dry).

10. Place sculpture back with the pins going through the base plate and into the holes.

11. Check that everything is correct and the threaded rods sit properly in the holes with the sculpture sitting flat on the concrete. DO NOT PUT PRESSURE ON THE THREADED RODS to force them into the holes, but enlarge the holes to suit them.

12. Remove the sculpture and put the chosen adhesive into the holes (quickly if using the faster-setting glue). Depending on the diameter of the holes fill them about 1/2 full to 2/3rds full with glue. Excess may be smeared on the threaded rods.

13. Whilst glue is still wet immediately place the sculpture back with the threaded rods pushed into the holes, pushed down as far as they will go.

14. Quickly check that the sculpture is still in the correct position, flat and with the correct orientation. There may be a little leeway for correction.

15. Remove any glue that seeps put under the base plate or through the holes. Clean your tools thoroughly.

14. Leave glue to set. You can check how much the glue has set by checking the excess in your container. If the sculpture must be supported to remain at the chosen angle, then support the sculpture until the glue is dry.

That’s absolutely fine. Let us know the circumstances.

If it is a breakage during shipping, then we are really happy to send you a replacement.

If you would like to return your statue because it doesn’t quite fit within your home, or garden, then let us know within 2 weeks of receiving your sculpture, and we will arrange a refund. We will deduct the cost of return shipping, and are really happy to talk through any part of this process.

If you have made this decision after two weeks, then please get in touch as there may still be something to be done, depending on the individual circumstances.

There are usually two options for returning a package, firstly collection from your address (this could be different from the original delivery address, it could be your work address, for example). 

Secondly, you may prefer to drop off your statue at a local shop for return. If this might be preferable to you, we can identify where you could drop off the package before you make a final decision.

Foundry Bronze sculpture lasts indefinitely outside. It is a very strong and durable material that stands extremely well to outdoor conditions.

Bronze Resin sculpture is designed to last outside for 20-25 years, and most last much much longer with good care. Depending on the shape some cracking may occur over time, if water pools constantly in one area,  some cracking may occur after a number of years, particularly along seam lines if water sits and then freezes.

Click here to learn more about the impact of weather on bronze statues here.

Foundry Bronze metal statues are excellent at withstanding extreme cold. 

Bronze Resin sculpture is very resilient to extreme cold, but it is not resilient to freezing water expanding in cracks. If water pools constantly in one area and then freezes then cracking may occur after a number of years. This is most often seen along seam-lines.

If you are experiencing extreme weather, and your garden bronze resin sculpture is portable, you might consider putting it under cover. For larger bronze resin sculptures, particularly those with buried subframes, it is likely easier to deal with the damage if it occurs, as the benefit of this material is its comparative simplicity to repair compared to Foundry Bronze.

Click here to learn more about the impact of weather on bronze statues here.

Foundry Bronze metal statues are excellent at withstanding extreme heat. Although, you might not wish to touch one at such high temperatures. Metal is a very good conductor of heat and can get very hot, so be careful of your fingers!

‘Cold cast’ Bronze Resin statues placed outdoors are less resilient to extreme temperatures than to extreme cold. With larger sculptures, the impact of high temperatures can be mitigated with more modern casting techniques. But, if you are in an area that experiences extreme heat, you might want to consider placing your Bronze Resin statue in a shadier location.

Indoor Bronze Resin sculptures can still be affected (though we’ve seen only a very, very small number) – it is easy to underestimate quite how hot something sitting in a very sunny window can become beneath the greenhouse effect of the glass.  Please note that this kind of cracking on indoor sculpture is fairly easy for us to diagnose if you send us photos, we may be able to offer more assistance.

Click here to learn more about the impact of weather on bronze statues here.

Sunlight can cause colour to fade, but does not damage the surface of your Foundry Bronze or Bronze Resin, and replenishing the protective coating of wax annually will help prevent colour change.

The larger danger to Bronze Resin is heat caused by intense sun. Foundry Bronze metal is extremely resilient to this, but Bronze Resin can be affected by extreme heat. If your area experiences extreme heat, you might wish to consider placing an out door Bronze Resin in a shadier part of your garden.

In a very small number of case, indoor Bronze Resin sculptures sitting in very sunny windows have become so hot beneath the greenhouse effect of the glass that cracking has occurred. But this kind of damage is fairly easy for us to diagnose, so if you send us photos, we are very likely to be able to offer you assistance.

Click here to learn more about the impact of weather on bronze statues here.

Neither Foundry Bronze metal or Bronze Resin corrodes in normal conditions.

There is a rare condition that can be suffered by a Foundry Bronze metal statue is chloride corrosion, known as ‘bronze disease‘. This sounds scarier than it is, because it is almost wholly limited to historic artifacts taken from the seabed and from shipwrecks.

For the purpose of this page on maintaining bronze sculpture, the best advice we can give is to avoid placing a foundry bronze statue in the sea or in a swimming pool.

If you do wish to place your sculpture there, consider a Bronze Resin, or even a non-cuprous (non-copper-based) resin like Stone Resin. Also, stone or concrete may also be preferable materials for in-pool or salt water statues. Excessive exposure to salt water or pool water by very near proximity (like beside the diving board, or a pool fountain) is also a good reason to use a different sculpture material. However, if you simply own a property on the coast or you have a pool somewhere in the garden, the waxing process will adequately protect your Foundry Bronze metal sculpture.

– Dust your sculpture with a soft, long-bristled paint brush and/or a soft, lint-free cloth.

– Clean your sculpture using water and a soft brush.

– Do not use abrasive brushes, nylon pads or wire wool pads.

– Do not use cleaning chemicals on your sculpture.

– After cleaning with water, dry the sculpture with an old towel to prevent streaks (or clean using deionized water).

– If your sculpture is looking dull after several rounds of cleaning, you can restore its lustre using a clear wax like ‘Black Bison Wax – Neutral’.

– Apply a thin layer of wax using a stippling motion (a dabbing downward vertical motion) with a paint brush.

– Use a hairdryer to gently apply heat until the wax melts, to apply the wax in an even coat.

– Buff the sculpture once the wax has dried using a clean, soft bristled brush, like a boot or shoe brush.

– If your sculpture is made of Bronze Resin, take care with your brush when buffing as it is easy to bash your sculpture with the handle. You may wish to consider using a cloth instead.

– If parts of your sculpture turn green (verdigris), clean off the green with a stiff nylon brush and apply a wax with some stain in it.

– We have cleaning kits available and we would be very happy to hear from you in the future if you need advice.

If you bought a bronze-coloured Foundry Bronze metal sculpture and it has turned green in places (called verdigris), but you do not like the colour, then rub the green area vigorously with a stiff nylon brush until most of the verdigris has come off in a dusty film.

Then select an appropriate wax with a stain – such as Black Bison Wax – Medium Oak, (rather than a clear wax) to deal with the verdigris residue still on that statue.

Colour fading is more of an issue for ‘cold cast’ Bronze Resin statues, but sculptures in both materials will gather dust indoors or debris in the garden.

For a garden sculpture, the fading that you see is partly caused by the reduction or complete absence of the protective wax coating that is applied during annual maintenance.

Please see the ‘How do I maintain my outdoor statue? (Both materials) question in this section of the FAQ.

For indoor sculpture, the wax will reduce much more slowly, but if you are in the habit of regularly dusting your sculpture, then you may wish to consider an annual rewax too.

Please see the ‘How do I keep my indoor statue clean? question in this section of the FAQ.

In both cases, colour fading is most easily rectified using a wax with a stain in it. So for bronze-colour statues, using a Black Bison Medium Oak wax can revive the colour. Some experimentation with coloured waxes, like verdigris, may be appropriate for other coloured sculptures, though generally the simple clear Black Bison ‘Neutral’ Wax is recommended.

Please take a look at my guide here to look at approaches to dealing with cracks in a statue.

If your sculpture is brand new, please get in touch with me, (and I am still very happy to hear from you if it is not!).

Please take a look at my guide here to look at identifying types of damage to sculptures, and if your sculpture is brand new, please get in touch with me, (and I am still very happy to hear from you if it is not!).

The view on buying artwork for investment is that it is a long-term investment with the benefit of its enjoyment while you own it.

The increase in value in an artwork is generally seen when it is not readily available for purchase. This can occur:

– if the statue is a unique, (a one-of-one edition)

– if the sculpture edition has sold out.

– or when the artist is quite old, or after their death.

Antique statues are normally the safest bet for investment, with the old masters granting the largest returns, due to their work’s iconic status and rarity.

Contemporary statues can enjoy enormous increases in value where an artist becomes fashionable, often through association with the origination, or the pinnacle of a contemporary art style. Well known examples include Jeff Koons’ ‘Balloon Dog’ and Damien Hirst’s ‘Lullaby Spring’ cabinet of pills.

These are exceptional examples, and for the majority of buyers, the expectation is lower, and more achievable: that they be able to buy a statue that they can afford, which they will enjoy, and which is very likely to increase in value.  

No, I do not teach any more.

I founded The Art Academy in London, and I taught the skills I’d been privileged to learn from seven years apprenticing with my sculptor parents.

I now focus on my art practice full time, and happily have my hands full, so no longer teach. Though two books have many of the lessons I learned and taught – ‘Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure’ and ‘The Artist’s Manual’.

You may be able to tell a fake if the statue has not been signed by the artist, or if there is no certificate of authenticity. However, as both of these things can be counterfeited, they are not a reliable indicator that a statue is not a fake.

Some fake statues are badly made, and comparing the sculpture with photos of other statues in the edition may enable you to spot a fake. If the statue has been counterfeited using only photos, then much of the detail and even the size may be poorly replicated. A fake may not be in the correct material.

The best fakes may have been produced using original moulds (technically not fakes, but stolen – as frequently occurs when artists produce work in countries like China), or they may have been made with moulds taken from a sculpture purchased by the counterfeiter. These are harder to spot – detailing may be comparatively poorer, but this it not likely to be evident to the normal viewer.

For the most valuable statues, the provenance will help a great deal. A buyer history is often traceable, for instance. An expert may be able to judge the age of a casting. There may be available knowledge about the presence of fakes,  (which are often betrayed by the origin of the seller, or the quantity of fakes that are made and are available).

Fakes are most easy to spot when a sculpture in the edition is still being sold by the artist. If there is a large difference in price when comparing the artist’s price to the online price, for example, that is a very strong indicator the cheaper statue is a fake. Most artists have agreements with their galleries to sell their sculptures at the same price everywhere.

An artist’s copy is made for a reason other than sale as part of an edition. Common reasons are:

– as a reference copy – so that later castings can be checked against it for accuracy.

– as an exhibition copy, which is expected to be damaged by being handled and transported multiple times, sometimes by unspecialised hands.

– as correction copy, after a mould has been damaged, the artist or a contractor may work on casting to make corrections to bring it back closer to the original, before making a new mould of the corrected cast.

– to avoid the restriction of an edition (effectively a money-making excercise, capitalising on the popularity of an edition that has sold out.) 

If you are purchasing an artist’s copy as an investment, the above could be helpful in determining the value of your investment. Early editions can be valuable as moulds can deteriorate with time and use. A reference artist’s copy might in fact be the truest casting, the real ‘edition 1’. An exhibition copy may have been similarly made early. If undamaged, or if the damage has been repaired skillfully, the artist copy will be worth more than if damaged and poorly repaired. A correction copy is not likely to be wholly correct, but if worked by the artist has artistic value. A false ‘artist copy’ made to sell copies out of the edition will devalue the entire edition, and the artist’s entire portfolio of work.

I represent a gallery, can we show your sculptures?

I represent a gallery, can we show your sculptures?

I represent a gallery, can we show your sculptures?