Chris's studio is in a converted byre, overlooking fields and hedgerows, which encourages a feeling of harmony with the natural world to develop within the artwork. Inspiration is found by looking for interesting shapes in nature, film and in the forgotten debris of everyday life; shards of industrial material found on the ground, a fragment of potpourri, an interesting door handle. He enjoys noticing and cherishing the little details of the world, and transforming them into an enduring art-form. For him the evolution of a piece is purely organic, there is no obvious planning or drawing. Chris’ sand cast bronze sculptures are pure abstract, although he usually has a mental image of each piece’s eventual form from the start. This creative freedom and spontaneity, combined with the diverse found objects that populate his studio, fire Chris’ creativity. They give each piece an inscrutable elegance and wit that is unmistakable. While he produces sculpture in both wood and stone, it is in bronze that Chris finds the greatest satisfaction. The moment a casting arrives from the foundry, Chris begins the painstaking finishing process: grinding, filling, texturing, patinating and polishing. Once the form is mounted, he always feels a thrill and sense of achievement, as he takes in the contrasting surfaces and innate balance of a new sculpture. Born in 1956, the son of a toolmaker, Chris studied at Redruth School of Art Cornwall before working in a number of foundries, which has given him a thorough knowledge of casting techniques. He is a former chairman of the Penwith Society of Arts, a member of the Plymouth Society of Artists and received the Morris Singer Founders Award at the RWA Autumn Exhibition.
