I began working with wire in 1992. I was studying a diploma at Newcastle-under-Lyme College of Art and was really struggling to draw my ideas down on paper so began ‘drawing’ with wire instead. I moved to Hereford a couple of years later, to study HND Design Crafts, and started going down to the river Wye shore to collect broken glass ‘pebbles’, driftwood and potsherds to add to my work.

My favourite wires to use are iron and steel although I do use brass, copper and silver wires too! Most of my wire work is shaped and bound by hand, I manipulate the wire using pliers, but occasionally I solder or braze the joins.

The creatures are made by applying layers of paper onto a wire form. I use strips of vintage papers from broken and damaged books and attach them using a simple flour and water paste. Once dry, the paper is sealed with a water based varnish to protect it from damp and damage.