That’s 100% true for me — so don’t ask me to sketch what I’m thinking. I can’t draw to save myself, but I can see what needs welding to bring something to life.

Truth is, I had no idea I could sculpt. I never even had the desire to. A while back, I was going through a rough patch. One day, I spotted a steel fish made from trailer springs in an art gallery. I loved it — but it wasn’t for sale. A mate said, “Just make it yourself.” So I did.

I turned $30 worth of springs into $400 cash after a few hours’ work. Then I made another — it sold for $800. I thought, Hang on… people like what I’m doing. Next came a bull’s head that I made for $50 and sold to a steakhouse for $800 to hang on their wall. I was going alright.

I started digging my way out of a hole, using nothing but scrap steel. Then I made a massive sunflower, and it sold within minutes. I was asked to help install it, and when I did, I saw how much pride the owner had in her garden. For my sculpture to become a part of it — visible from her kitchen window — was an honour.

That’s when I realised this wasn’t just about making a bit of coin. The process took me to places in my head I’d never been before. While I was creating, there was no outside noise — just total focus. That’s when I finally understood what artists mean when they’re asked about their work and go on with their “artist wank.” For me, it was finally a way to shut my bloody mind off and be in the moment.

Eventually, I got back on my feet. I’d work all day in my welding business making equine products, then sculpt at night when the urge hit me. The most special moment for me is when a piece is finished. That’s it. No more to do. I just sit in an old chair with my dogs for twenty minutes, quietly looking at what I’ve made. That’s what it’s all about. I’ve made it for me — no one else.

I can be impulsive at times. When I met my third wife, Shannon, she said, “On paper, you don’t read that great,” and laughed. After I proposed, I quickly realised my budget wasn’t quite in line with hers when we started ring shopping. The deposit was paid, and I had three months to come up with the rest of the coin — “An investment,” she joked.

Earlier that year, for Valentine’s Day, I made her a small stainless steel sculpture called Taking the Plunge — a diving board through a round ring, elevated on a stand. It was about a foot high. A simple piece.

When the pressure was on, I decided to make a big version of it — 4.4 metres high and 2.5 tonnes. I entered that and two other sculptures in the Sculptures in the Garden competition in Mudgee. I ended up taking out the two major first prizes and pocketed over twenty grand… and I got the girl.

As life does, things got busy. The sculptures became fewer and further between — until now.
I’m back. And there’s a lot more creativity in me that needs to come out.

If you have a project in mind, you can use the form below to drop me a line.