No, I haven’t just installed an animal sculpture in a private jet! However, I was interviewed recently for Flamingo, the inflight magazine for Air Namibia. The January 2017 edition includes a three page article looking at my animal sculpture, background and influences. You can read the full article here (article starts on page 72).

I am always being asked about my approach to my animal sculpture. People are understandably interested in how I started and where I draw my inspiration. I’ve written about these things before on this blog. For example, see this post on my background, influences and technique, which also includes a very old photo from the archives of my very first springer spaniel puppy!

This latest article covers some of the same ground, but also looks at my animal sculpture workshops, which I run here in the UK and abroad, and the charitable work I do to support nature conservation charities, such as the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.

As a wildlife sculptor, it’s perhaps no surprise that I have a healthy store of anecdotes from my workshops and safaris. But it’s always the animals, and the stories they have to tell, that interest me most. I learned from an early age that every animal has its own distinctive personality. I never start a new piece without making that connection with my subject. I need to know its story and what it’s feeling.

Although I started out drawing and painting animals, I was captivated by clay from the moment I first started working with it. I find the possibilities of modelling in three dimensions very exciting. Ultimately, with animal sculpture, it’s the presence in the room which is so powerful.

As always, if you are interested in commissioning an animal sculpture of your own, or perhaps you would like to join me on an animal sculpture workshop, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.