Method to my Madness!

My own designs begin as an original digital sculpture that I create myself, and from there each horse is individually finished by hand. The surface preparation, gessoing, painting, fitting of the glass eyes and real hair, and the making of the reclaimed oak bows are all done by me.

For the half-sized horses in particular, I chose this method because it allows me to achieve a level of anatomical detail and realism that would be extremely difficult at this scale if carved traditionally. It also means I can focus my time on the finishing and painting — which is where the character truly comes to life.

Although the structure is produced using modern tools, the finished piece is very much a hand-finished decorative artwork rather than a factory-made item.

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When it comes to restoring antique horses, I try to stick to traditional methods as closely as possible. Original paint is getting harder to find and many are quick to remove the wonderful patina that has developed over many years of history. I will always preserve the original where possible, even if there is little to go on, sometimes these small patches can give the colour match and the flavor of the original interpretation. The horse I am photographed with here (an early FH Ayres) only had clues to her history, but it was so rewarding, piecing them together and seeing her blossom into the fabulous piece she is now.

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Others, in my opinion, need a bit more help to be appreciated. The humble J Collinson's & Sons horses are often underrated by collectors due to mass production in the 60's, 70's and right up to the 90's. There carving and painting style became more and more crude, yet they still serve as great solid and practical horses. With some elbow grease and imagination they can become quite fabulous, being of a much heavier build to many of the more highly sort after makes. They make wonderful hunters and cobs.

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I have however become increasingly frustrated with transforming these horses withing the limitations of the existing model and am currently in the process of creating my very own range of horses. Each one will be unique, and made as sustainably as I can manage, using locally sourced, ethically felled Ash. It is an exiting project and I'm looking forward to seeing how they are recieved.