“I have always liked the idea of fine art having a function, at times. “Conrad’s Shelves” was a commission, & the challenge for me was to make it as sculptural as my usual work whilst accommodating the requirements of its function. The material too, was unusual for me in that I used plywood, rather than ‘wild’, unmilled timber. The fabulous thing about carving plywood is that you get a beautiful contoured effect as you reveal the layers.

“Titbox” too has a function, but this came about by chance rather than intention. I initially made this piece as the first in a series of wood/ceramic sculptures that were to house a speaker, the idea being that there would be a clump of them all conversing, arguing, and singing. The technological & sound production side of this bogged me down, but a more spontaneous natural solution came about; birds moved in & nested.”