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I was approached at the exhibition by a member of the Stranraer Development Trust who is developing the Coastal Trail as a tourist element in Stranraer.  I shared my idea of making wire birds for the coast that would be filled with beach debris, that would then be washed out to sea, ;eating the wire frame behind. I was advised that in early 2023 there will be funding to allocate to a local artist to produce several artworks to be dotted along the Coastal Trail in an attempt to make the trail more interesting and increase visitor numbers to the area/ We discussed how Henry can be a part of the trail and suspended somewhere along the coast. I was asked if I'd be interested in creating more birds that I'd be commissioned for as part of the project! Emails exchanged and further discussions to happen in 2023. Exciting times!

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I created a short video of my close up and macro details of some of the work that was produced and exhibited, these are photographs I took. The exhibition had 50 visitors in the first hour and was a massive  success and became a huge part of the Principal's November Briefing.

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I decided that the best way to exhibit Henry was to suspend him from above somehow. As the exhibition was taking place in the foyer of the campus, the mezzanine was located directly above and overhung the foyer. This meant Henry could be suspended from the mezzanine, down onto a table in the exhibition space. I used the remaining jewellery that I sourced earlier which was also thin but very dark in colour, I chose not to shine this up and experimented with its ability to suspend Henry's weight. After many attempts and tweaks he was stalking across a table, exactly how I imagined he would be.

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I took Henry a walk/stalk around campus to make sure he held together. It was also an opportunity to think about how and where he would be exhibited. As he was going to be one of many pieces, location was key. Thankfully our wander confirmed he would be able to withstand being exhibited with causing a health and safety issue.

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It took a few attempts to figure out how to make the legs Heron-like but able to move without using additional materials. Once I made the legs in proportion to the rest of the body I created 4 toes for each feet that were also proportionate. This bit took a lot longer than expected. The toes are so slim but with the wire that were fragile. Experimenting further ensured I found the best way to create these without adding girth and weight to the toes, which in turn would pull on the legs and alter the shape length of them.

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I found some old copper pipe cut offs in the college workshops and sourced some old jewellery wire in the local re-use for the details. The wire was old and lost its shine so I took the time to shine it with some polish I had in my shed.
I experimented with adding detail with the wire along the wings and tail but didn't have enough. I ended up using it instead to highlight the tips of each with feather and tail feather. I used what I had left to attach the copper pipe cut offs to the head as eyes. This took a long time to do but the detail has given him personality and the detail is lovely.

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Before Henry and I took our first walk, I spent a lot of time double and triple tightening all of the key joints at the top of his legs, wing joints and feet. At this point it felt like I was operating on him, somehow trying to keep what sole he had inside the wire.

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Creating the detail of the head took time and patience. I decided to use a similar technique to that of the feathers to add the details at the back of the head. Shaping the beak and ensuring the wire would be stable enough to hold the additional feathered element proved tricky. At this point I thought I may have to use another material to assist. After much debate I stepped away and came back the next day and played with it till it was what I wanted.

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To create the body of the Heron I used a rolling method I have found successful in my experimenting. I used the wire itself to catch and secure the tubular shape I needed. I had to make sure the length of the neck was sufficient which was tricky when my proportions had to fit well with the wing I had already created. This was quickly becoming a large sculpture but it felt right, a lifesized Heron would have an impact greater than a scaled version. It also allowed me to recreate the Prehistoric element of the Heron by.

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I felt it apt to start with the wings, they would be the biggest part of the Heron. I used what I discovered in my experimenting and using wire cutters and brute force, created feather like elements with came to a point. Hoping to recreate the feather at the end of a wing while folding and bending the wing itself into shape. I was pleased with the results.

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The preview exhibition gave my students experience of working towards an exhibition brief as well as setting up an exhibition space. Ten of my students took part and we all created together, sharing process, advise and the emotions that came with the challenge.

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To start, I drew some sketches of what I'd like my sculpture to look like, unsure of scale I feel that the process in this case is more important. So much so that I wanted to share this with my students. To help their confidence also, I decided to challenge them to create too and scheduled a preview exhibition entitled 'Be Inspired' which was held in the college campus at the end of November.

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I decided to experiment with the reclaimed chicken wire, trying to be a resourceful as possible and only use the materials I had. I spent some time working with the wire to form structure by folding the wire in on itself and trimming elements so that it could be tied in on itself as a means of fixing things in place.

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It didn't take me long to decide and source materials for my artwork. I am keen on reusing materials and wanted to attempt to create my artwork using up cycling and recycling methods.

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I was asked to be submit a piece of Artwork into an exhibition with other local artists, the brief was 'My Inspiration'.
The exhibition will be held by Creating Stranraer in 2023 and based in and around the Stranraer area.