My journey to becoming a sculptor is a combination of circumstance, background experience and a dash of upbringing.
I have always been lucky to have creative parents who never really got a chance to pursue a creative careen due to the pressures of society and family. My father was a fantastic painter but he was expected to be a green grocer taking over the family business. My mother was wonderful at all things creative, making dolls houses, reproduction china dolls, a talented seamstress, good upholstery and could put her hands to anything. However, she became a hairdresser so as to make a living.
When I finally decided that art college was for me both my parents supported my decision.
My Father had given me a decent camera when I was a boy and I decided that this would be the only form of art that might give me a good financial career. Funnily enough at this time photography and sculpture clashed on the time table at Hastings collect of art so I never got to explore this side of art at that time.
I pursued a career in photography and actually became quite successful moving to London and working for all the best advertising agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH Greys etc famous in the late 90s. My advertising clients ranged from Guinness, Smirnoff, Interflora, Harrods, Sainburys, too many to remember and my daily fee was shocking!
But, after a few years doing this I became bored. I didn't have much creative freedom & my clients wanted photographs that fitted perfectly within their campaigns. It was at this time I discovered a free "sculpting from life" evening classes at my local YMCA gym. I totally fell in love with the process of sculpting in clay and ended up having a small display of my figures in the upstairs coffee shop at the YMCA.
The head of sculpture at St Martins worked out at the very same YMCA. He saw my sculptures and invited me apply for a sculpture degree at St Martins School of Art. I thought 'what the hell' and found myself doing a three year sculpture degree at one of best art schools in the country.
My path to becoming a sculptor had truly begun...