I am a sculptor and painter, based in the North East of England, creating works to commission as well as selling individual pieces.  

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The main visual influences on my work are ancient Egyptian sculpture, painting and architecture.  Similarly, the Constructionism of Naum Gabo and Antoine Pevsner are important.  The same goes for medieval sculptures and paintings.  The forms of structural engineering and architecture are also an important area of inspiration.

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For sculptures I mainly work in oak, Corten Steel or wax.  The latter can be cast in bronze or other suitable materials, such as Jesmonite.  The Corten Steel pieces are created for outdoor settings.  The bronzes can be made for interior or exterior venues.  The oak sculptures are strictly interior works.  The oak sculptures are figurative, but there are some which are more abstracted.  However, it's important to say that I do not accept that there is any such thing as pure abstraction in the sense that some people use the word, i.e. meaning that the painting or sculpture has no relationship to anything outside of itself.   All art relates to the world, and my abstractions are no exception to that fact.

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The more  representational pieces are usually a combination of the human figure in the upper region fused with architectural forms in the lower sections.  The oak and steel sculptures have complex micro labyrinthine interiors.  These inter-connected interiors begin in the lower spaces, usually with an entrance on the ground floor, and ascend from one level to the next.  Eventually they lead into chambers within the neck and head.  The Cervical landing is situated at the base of the neck.  It leads up to the Chamber of Breath, which is behind the mouth.  The final space is the House of Light, situated within the cranium and resting on a structural level that I call the zygomatic platform because of it's proximity to the zygomatic bones, which form the widest parts of the face.  The exterior aspect of the House of Light is visible through spaces in the cranium, but its interior can only be accessed via the interconnected rooms and vertical shafts below it.

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For a very long time I have been interested in esoteric philosophy.  I am particularly interested in Spiritual Alchemy, Hermetic Philosophy and Gnosticism.  ​There was a time when a person would be tortured and killed if they were practicing any spiritual path that was not in accordance the church's teachings and dogmas.  Therefore such spiritual practices became hidden.  In due course these schools were demonised by the church and  became something evil in the minds of unquestioning conformists.​  Anyway, I am an esoteric practitioner who is informed by aspects of western esoteric teachings.   Art, for me, is an efficaciously symbolic means of attuning oneself.  Ultimately I have felt the need to develop a personalised philosophy and spiritual practice.  So the aforementioned interiors in the sculptures are to do with a spiritual Path: the union of opposites  The only Master I follow is the divine spark of God consciousness, which is accessible deep within each one of us. The House of Light and Chamber of Breath (the Word) are part of the symbolism of this Path. Consciousness is everywhere,  manifested throughout the cosmos in an infinite variety of ways; the cosmos is a conscious, living and evolving organism. 

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Many of my paintings are thematically related to the sculptures and the philosophy outlined above.  For example I often paint forms as though they are transparent, including references to interiors within hidden forms within them.  Symbolism is very important and often deeply embedded, prompting contemplation. I paint in acrylics, oils and, occasionally, watercolour.  In addition to stand-alone paintings I also produce a lot of working drawings and presentation visuals for proposed public sculptures.

 

Some of the works are photographic, often based on the double exposures of so called 'spirit photographs'.   I sometimes make spirit forms from plaster and fabric, and these sculptural forms become part of the spirit photos.  It's basically an interface between sculpture and photography.  None of the alleged spirit photos of the past are genuine, but they do resonate and that is the aspect of them that interests me.  The sculptural forms are also exhibitable pieces, presented alongside photographs and paintings exploring the same ideas.

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My PhD was an investigation of esoteric philosophy and was Fine Art practice-led.   Focusing on a spiritual thread, an Essence, running through the centre of all mystical traditions. 

 

The philosophy I have outlined underpins all of the work I create.  I have a definite interest in all religions but gravitate towards Hermeticism, alchemy and some aspects of Gnosticism.