Christmas is Here!
Well, Christmas is about indulgence and I feel I have overindulged myself with what I have made this Christmas. I have focused on what I would have liked to make for my wife and daughter – and in some cases what I would have liked to receive for myself. It's all gone swimmingly well with the unforeseen drawback that several pieces have had to be withdrawn from sale to give to the family on pain of relegation to the Dog-House.
I've bundled the very essence of goodness into my "Bolster Bunny" and her 8 sisters. With her pudgy face and oversized paws she is the epitome of a kitten, adorability pouring fourth from every little piece of driftwood.
From nice to naughty... I have made a series of 10 little bats, each with their own personalized coffin. What have bats got to do with Christmas? I am not sure, however I could think of nothing more delightful than awakening on Christmas morning to find one of these fellows under the Christmas tree with my name on it! Each comes with a stainless steel verdigrised branch hanging device that screws to the wall and allows the bat to hang-out!
For some inexplicable reason my octopus is also a festive fellow. I've welded hundreds of little stainless-steel studs onto the underside of his legs and polished them to a silvery finish. The contrast between the richness of the silver against the organic rawness of the long dead wood is pleasing to the eye!
The underlying theme of many of my Christmas sculptures for this year is the Christmas feast. Here is my Kingfisher exiting the water holding a stickleback in his beak. His base is made of stainless steel finished in a Verdigris patina.
A playful pair of robins sit astride their Verdigris branch, sharing a Christmas worm.
A red squirrel is intently focused on her acorn as she stretches towards it;
Still on the subject of Christmas feasts I have also made several sets of fondue forks nestled in a gnarly wooden box. A cheeky mouse sits astride the lid, waiting to be fed a little bit of fondue cheese.
If you are one for a ceremonial carve of the Christmas turkey, look no further than my Christmas carving set, the utensils are made by Laguiole, one of the finest French knife makers.
I do like my mice and have also made a number of magnet mice. These fellows are designed to click on to anything iron. Radiators, radiator pipes, Aga flews, fridges etc. there is always a place to click on a magnet mouse.
A Well-Rounded Frog sits astride a heavy limestone ball, grinning mischievously at passers-by.
And finally 4 more philosophers have flown their roost.
I hope that you have enjoyed the images. Please contact me on
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a New Year of Good Health and Good Cheer.
James.