I draw all my inspiration from nature; its structures, sculptural forms and particularly the minutiae of flora and fauna. My desire is to reveal these marvelous things to others and to leave my mark by making beautiful objects.

Making beautiful objects out of heavy gauge copper takes a long time and much patience and skill. There are few examples of large scale repoussé pieces because it is very difficult and labour intensive. Most low relief sculpture in metal is made by casting work modelled in clay or wax. There is opportunity to refine and rework areas until the desired appearance is achieved. The work I am doing does not allow for error or reconsideration. Every strike of the hammer shows. Great care must be taken to avoid over-heating the copper when annealing it and extreme caution must be exercised when raising the surface to avoid making holes in the thinned metal.

I use a variety of metal and wooden tools that I strike with hammers both for chasing (making lines) and raising or doming (repoussé). Small copper pieces are usually embedded in a warm pitch mixture to cushion and hold the metal when shaping it. This is not possible with a large sheet and I have found sand to be useful as a working support in most cases.

When copper is struck several times it becomes brittle and must be softened by heating to a temperature of around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Then it is washed in sulphuric acid, a necessary but extremely hazardous procedure, before hammering can be resumed.

Copper in very thin sheets is commonly used to make decorative pieces but my work is substantial enough to be placed outdoors in gardens or as part of the architectural detail on buildings and houses. It will last for many, many years. I believe my copper sculptures complement virtually any interior design from classical to eclectic and can exist happily among antiques whether they are Asian or early American.

The gladiola and bee composition took over two months to produce.

The fountain piece took four months to make.