It was a last November when I got some amazing exposure thanks to my sculpture 'The Bull' going viral.
He was noticed by some influential people and I was very fortunate to be invited to enter the largest art competition in the world, held at The Grand Rapitds in America! So I decided to give it a go and I was really overwhelmed when I was selected to have my piece hosted in the most famous venue of the competition Geralds Ford presidential museum as well!
The Bull was up against 1500 other pieces of artwork. I had no idea how it would fair as each piece was unique. Some of the pieces were huge, it almost looked like David Vs Goliath. Even so, The Bull made it into the top 100 and it came 20th in the 3D category!
I'm a man of few words. I speak through my sculptures, so it seems 'humbled' doesn't describe it. This experience has given me such a boost, not to mention worldwide exposure and positive feedback. You really can't buy that!
We had 15000 postcards of 'The Bull' made up and I was expecting to be bringing home at least half, but they were all gone within days of the competition! If you are the lucky and got one. Save it. Look after it. Perhaps come to one of my exhibitions and I'll sign it. Who knows. One day it maybe worth more than you think ;)
The story of THE BULL
Once upon a time in an old converted garage was born an idea of a unique metal beast who dared to be different from his brothers and sisters... he started out simply as a sketch and then, over a four-month period, thanks to clever use of a UGI welding The Bull stepped out from the sketch and became part of the real world.
The Bull is the most complex of all my creations so far; its 168 unique metal parts have been carefully recycled and brought back to life to serve a new beautiful purpose. The majority of the used parts for the piece originally came from cars and motorbikes that I have gathered gradually over time fixing motors for living. A few main parts are from BMW 323 which are over 30 years old! But there is one very special personal part - a small antique wrench tool placed in the head of The Bull which belonged to my grandfather, it was he who first taught me how to fix cars when I was young.
The Bull is also my first sculpture to contain a used watch mechanism - creating a fragile heart for the strong mighty beast.
This powerful yet intricate sculpture is strength, courage and gentleness united, a tough metal body containing the heart and passion of my own.
THE BULL IS A SYMBOL OF LOVE AND POWER WORKING TOGETHER.
