Artist Statement

In secondary school, I had a great art teacher who was a ceramicist, so clay was prominent in the work I produced. I loved the hands-on way of working with it and it opened up the world of 3D sculpture to me. I had my heart set on doing ceramics at college until a week’s metalwork trial in the core year at the National College of Art & Design opened me up to the wonderful world of metal. I loved watching the metal heat up and was mesmerised by the glow from the solder as it melted. This process still makes my heart flutter today. When I was in college, I had the opportunity to visit the hangars at Dublin Airport. This was where my passion for aeroplanes was ignited. I was utterly in awe of the sheer scale and craftsmanship of the planes. They were exposed for their fragility by being stripped back and left in need of repair, which I truly wanted to depict in my metal sculptures.

 

I began looking at inanimate objects like planes, rockets and boats in a new way. I wanted to highlight their beauty and vulnerability as well as celebrate man's achievements in these areas. I use influences from nature such as birds, fish and trees to bring an organic quality to work and to give each piece its own personality. I am very much led by the metal and I work in a very hands-on way. I love exploring what I can do with it, using heat and hammers and often happy accidents to create colour, form and texture. I work intuitively with the metal and I love how it always surprises me. 

My pieces are meant to engage the viewer, the decorative detail and texture inviting them to touch it. They are celebratory pieces made with passion and a genuine fascination for all the flying machines that man has created. From the Wright brothers’ biplane right up to modern jet aeroplanes, rockets and satellites I am constantly inspired to create a homage to them all.