Sometimes you just have to follow your heart with sculpture. I thoroughly enjoy commissions and the challenges they present, but being able to choose your subject because you feel you have to make it keeps the flame going.

A case in point would be these recent lion cub sculptures. On my last wildlife trip we came by a huge pride of 22 lions. They had been feasting all the previous day on a large, smelly carcass and had that post-Christmas Dinner look about them. The grown-ups were sleeping off the excesses. The cubs were trying to settle but finding it hard with their huge full bellies. They also still had a bit of play in them.

Watching these lion cubs playing quietly with each other, trying hard not to wake up the grown-ups, was a beautiful intimate moment. Boisterous play was off the agenda with their big stomachs getting in the way. Observing lion cubs sleeping on their backs with their legs akimbo shows the security they gain from being part of such a large strong family. When it was time to sculpt them, I wanted to show the cubs in this vulnerable state. This cub’s huge paws the pleasing curves of its full belly conveys the impression that this one is a survivor.