I have been blacksmithing since I was 14 years old. I completed an apprenticeship with Chris Dalziel, a highly trained industrial smith based in Wellington, New Zealand, before embarking upon a 9 year journeyman’s apprenticeship across Europe, predominantly Germany. In 2007 I returned home and opened my own practice in Auckland, New Zealand.

My sculptural work explores the fundamental structure of steel as a material synonymous with the construction industry. My work focuses specifically on the effects of pressure, stored energy, and captured instances of intense heat and violent force. This is essentially stripping back my interest in blacksmithing to the beginning: The manipulation of metal through the use of heat and force. This concentrates on the effects of severe impact, and as such, avoids the temptation to control the material absolutely. By the act of subjecting the chosen material to these forces and allowing it to react as it will, the works become an observation of the fundamental properties the material holds.