At the end of 2018 I finished a large commission for one of my clients. This was a 2.5m wingspan wedge-tail eagle in cold cast brass wearing bronze armour. It featured dramatic stainless steel flight feathers at the tips of its wings, resembling swords. This eagle is posed with wings outstretched in full flight and will be installed 4 meters in the air at my client's majestic estate.

In 2019 I completed the second eagle, a brother to the first, complete with armour and stainless steel wingtips. This eagle is posed coming in for landing and will also be installed high above the ground, keeping watch over the rolling hills.

For this project I have been working with a top Australian interior designer alongside the client. I started by drawing an initial sketch to be approved my both designer and client. The next step was sculpting a miniature version (maquette) of the eagle. This helps the client see what the piece will look like from all angles and also helps me to plan how to build the armature. I refer back to the maquette the entire way through the project.

The armature (the structure inside the full size sculpture) was fabricated from stainless steel. I worked alongside fabricators for this stage. This is also when the stainless steel sword-like flight feathers were attached. I then applied about 50kg of soft wax onto the armature and began forming the eagle and sculpting the detail.

The next stage was mould-making. I assisted the very talented Claire Tennant who runs a mould-making workshop in Sydney. Together we then cold cast the eagle in brass and bronze. To finish, the sculpture needed days upon days of sanding and polishing to achieve a gorgeous aged lustre.

A few knots in my shoulder but we'll worth it.