My works are products of my personal energies of the time, which vary considerably, as I describe in my personal profile on this site. Influenced by the company and the environment in which they are made, the works seem to have to fill the gaps left by the blinkered mainstream of human activity.

virtual or palpable

In everything that I "handle", be it with my mind or fingers, I am a sculptor. By a "sculptor", I mean one who handles a concept by iteratively redefining it - chiselling, grinding or burnishing it - a tree-trunk, a visual image, a mathematical expression or prose, until a match with an intention is achieved. The form or concept often redefines itself as it progresses.

I offer some awareness of often unnoticed, geometrically definable but to me more readily intuited "spatial cadences" with which the universe builds itself. I support this with an unusually diverse and detailed practical knowledge and skills base enabling me to construct works in many media.

I enjoy sculpting or engineering in a gallery or suitable outdoor setting, alongside completed works of mine, where viewers may come and go and share according to their interest.

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large or small

team or solo

I have been privileged to build works having major parts of them delegated to others with specific skills, in the conventional way of architects and engineers. I enjoy the increased capacity for creative expression this permits and I look forward to continuing to design for and facilitate the construction of work by others, where appropriate. But I will also continue to personally engineer and create intricacies when this is easier for me than to interpret the construction for others - or indeed to find understanding constructors.

My interest and experience as a creator is primarily in technical-aesthetic aspects. On larger projects I would definitely prefer to leave the management of other aspects of the job to those more suited!

I am happy to work as an artist or tradesperson alone, or as a subcontractor, or as a peer in a friendly team as long as the areas of my interest are clearly defined and I have sufficient mandate to manage my own work process.

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private or public

I like my work to be accessible to interested members of the public. Works for patrons who encourage access to a wider audience will certainly get more attention under competitive circumstances. But ultimately, whether I am more enthusiastic about a is probably specific to individual cases.

I am, from time to time, prepared to consider involvement in site-specific projects anywhere in Europe or other liberal, stable territories.

loose or tight

I work carefully by "default" but under pressure or to experiment, I can do "calculated carelessness" - evaluating the significance of a defect or error and sometimes choosing to move on: very different to making or leaving defects unawarely but still a worrying concept to one who abhors "botching". I'll accept commissions to a tight budget only if I consider them possible to complete to my own as well as a client's satisfaction.

Precision when applied to unique works requires care and consequently time. When my work is meditative enjoyment, I don't record my time on a financial balance sheet. But sculpting a work in a meditative state of mind is only possible for me if the work is self directed. Perfectionist clients with precise commissions should expect to pay skilled trade rates.

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original or copy

I almost never spontaneously produce copies or close likenesses of other work - even my own. Likenesses become apparent as development occurs. I often move about reactively in quite large steps - laterally or sequentially - from work to work. In many instances, however, an idea may become frustrated during its development, and I will have a residual desire to attempt it again. Such is the case with some of my old sculptures, whose forms still move me but need remaking in more appropriate materials - eg casting.

real or surreal

This is a discourse between discipline and spontaneity for me. Reality I see as a display of what "works" under the circumstances. There is plenty more that might work well too, and an infinite amount that will not. My search in the surreal is for what might work too but does not exist yet - not for the haphazard.

When it comes to organic form, there are curious subliminal rules in the human psyche about what is appropriate to display and what is not. It is one of my missions to tease the rules out into the open, and expose the intent of the psyche behind them. For instance, why do members of contemporary western society find the ordered depiction of the unfamiliar - perhaps the normally concealed parts of animals and plants - difficult to appreciate while willingly exposing their minds to the simulated barbarism that much entertainment consists of?

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for love or for money

Here are some contractual terms you might want to consider if you are thinking of commissioning me to build something.

• I accept subcontracting-type work that is not primarily creative, at an hourly rate of pay similar to the prevailing trade rate.
• I quote for commissions where creative freedom is the essence of the contract at a lower rate than other contracts.
• I negotiate or consult with a client throughout a job about issues which do not resolve themselves or about which I want input.
• Having been commissioned to work to an agreed specification, my handling of the work within the specification and extent of consultation about it is absolutely at my discretion. It is the clients' responsibility to satisfy themselves that our interpretations of the specification are similar enough before commissioning me.
• Modifications to commissions or to existing works requested by potential purchasers, if I will undertake them, must be paid for in advance at my engineering or trade rate rather than my artist rate, however minor the modifications.
• For commissions as a self-directing artist I presently estimate costs based on an hourly rate of between £8 and £16.
• If a work grows in significance as it develops and requires resources that the customer will not cover the cost of, then I reserve the right to develop (aspects of) the work for my own purposes at my own cost.
• If, at any point in a commission or contract, elements of conformity to a schedule or specification that make the commission onerous are introduced by a client or third party (eg a regulatory body), my rate will be between £16 and £48 per hour.
• For works I am asked to begin or develop with a view to purchase, the customer should expect to pay for expenses and materials in advance - monthly or weekly in advance if the work is substantial. No part of this is refundable, unless the work is sold to another purchaser, or I am unable to begin the commission before any materials or time are invested in it or the materials are resold or I require them for another project.
• For anything that is site specific, specific to clients' tastes or otherwise not easily saleable, a proportion of estimated labour costs (by default, half) will also be payable in advance - monthly or weekly in advance if the work is substantial.
• Commissioned copies will be costed at trade rather than my creative rate, and could therefore be more expensive than originals.
• The purchaser or person commissioning a tangible work does not automatically own its copyright. This can be separately contracted.
• I may sell works subject to agreement that they will be lent back for short periods for exhibiting or making copies.
• Purchasers of works for resale please consider that a commission of 10% of any profit may be payable to me upon resale.

This section should give an idea of some directions in which my work can go. If you have a proposal for a work for which you can raise material support, that you imagine is within the scope of this page, then I would be pleased to discuss it with you.

I offer myself as a perceptive amateur - in the true sense of the word - one who loves doing it - in these virtual capacities: one whose existing works have been received with enthusiasm.

As a matter of course, my work receives proofing, criticism and feedback from those with specialised skills during its publication process.

video production

I am able to capture video with a high-end Mini dv digital video camera, at 768 x 576 pixels resolution, and edit with subtlety and precision on the Macintosh platform, producing near-broadcast-quality output to DVD, CD or cassette tape, or to mpeg or similar for use on-line.

The promotional video for Chris Stewart's book A Parrot In The Pepper Tree, which I took a major role in the production of, broke new ground and got much acclaim at its showing at Penguin Books' annual promotional fair. This team project was great fun, working with two other wonderfully creative people. If you'd like to talk about videos or see some of my video on-line, please send me an instant message!

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web sites

This web site - on-line since 2001 and currently of about 40 pages and 400 images, most with enlargements - was for a long time my most extensive venture into web authoring, within which I practised most of my skills, and periodically updated my knowledge base. It is now overdue for a thorough rebuild! Other sites that I have built in their entirity include adrianfreedman.com, huggamama.com and appletrees.org.uk; I have contributed artistically and technically to many others and built several other complete but transient sites. The site I am building at the moment is spirit-of-light.co.uk.

I write html, javascript and cascaded style sheets without the use of any intermediate software, other than a powerful, versatile text editor. I am presently developing my knowledge of Perl (for server-based page generation and control) in my own peculiar way. I am therefore able to create web sites which load briskly and have subtlety, individuality and utility. Compare this with sites full of slow-to-load, redundant code, text as images and almost random rectilinear layout. You know which you want: send me an instant message!

graphics

I have been creating graphics for public consumption since the late 1970s, first using pen, paper and drawing board, and since the mid '90s, also using state of the art camera, scanner, digitiser and image-processing equipment. I use Photoshop in my sleep (as you can tell by some of my images) and engineering CAD programs rather than "Illustrator" type programs for vector image design. I love producing graphic images, for whatever destination but especially in conjunction with web authoring. I have a very intimate relationship with all the kinds of data, which include images, which involves simultaneous processing of emotional response and precise use of very technical tools. Computer tools I wield with my left brain using keyboard shortcuts while my right brain seemlessly evaluates.

But all that aside, you either like what I produce or you don't: to find out what I'd produce given your criteria, and for an artwork that gets a message across with a strong taste of organic originality, send me an instant message right now.

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My experience and keenness is primarily in working in ceramics and wood carving. I will also tackle metal fabrication, concrete and . I am trying to avoid plastics and resins, for environmental and health reasons. Metal casting I am just waiting for the right opportunity to indulge in!

I welcome commissions of all sizes - from hand sized objects up to small planets.

I resist knowing where the boundary of the field of "fine art" sculpture lies. My larger works have been made mainly but not solely as sculpture; they are also integral, often working components of constructions such as swimming pools. The range of objects pictured are fully described on other pages of wavesculptor.com - see the enlargements for where. The plain text links are to enquire about buying (something like) them.

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My El Valero pool project is undergoing study and assessment. It has been running encouragingly since summer 2001, though works around it continued until 2003.

I am interested in further pool commissions which allow scope for project development and creative expression. Aspects which I would particularly like to develop along with the sculptural and biological "essentials" include adaptation of the system to cooler climates, to include solar pool heating and enclosures for the swimming and/or water treatment areas.

I have learned much from the three pools I have built so far, of working straddling the boundaries of the known and unknown, science and technology and art, working with my own hands and trying to balance project politics with creative determination. I am still inspired to scale the concept up several-fold, and try to move it nearer the public domain.

private commissions

to my pools intro page

Potential private patrons should consider that sculptural biological swimming pools by me are not offered as simple commercial propositions, but as lasting and enjoyable adjuncts to the sponsorship of the development of the biological system. They involve mutual involvement in the project for several years, with gradual handing over of responsibility by me. Please send me an instant message if you think you'd like to participate in the process.

Please be aware that due to their unique, sophisticated engineering, sculptural pools require an investment of at least £100,000, though I may be willing to assist in commissioning less ambitious biological swimming ponds or conventional-pool conversions.

public commissions and assisting on them

Who is game for developing the first "Green" swimming sports and leisure centre? I am particularly keen to take on the architectural challenges of incorporating such a pool complex in a cool climate botanical greenhouse that is a work of art, a biome that can be virtually self-sufficient in energy, water, and eventually, perhaps even economics!... Do send me an instant message about this.

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It has long been an ambition of mine to design and build a complete, organically sculpted, ecological home or similar building. Unfortunately the momentousness of confronting the conservative planning system and the improbability of finding reasonably priced, well-situated building plots within the UK, has meant that this is something I have not done for myself and will not be doing for at least some years yet. If, however, you are in a situation where you think you may be able to build, particularly in the southwest of England, and you would like to involve me, please send me an instant message.

Concepts that I have particular interest in are earth-sheltered dwellings, straw bale construction, compost toilets, and passive and active solar design... plus of course everything else featured on this web site!

...and subcontracting on them

I have been developing for 30 years as a multiskilled tradesperson who occasionally does building-related work - since introduced by my father, during my teens, to the quality building renovation business in the West End and the City of London.

In the meantime, I have sensitively and sophisticatedly renovated a complete house in Norfolk, installed large and small solar and conventional heating systems, and performed countless internal and external alterations and renovations. I will undertake joinery and carpentry, plastering, wiring, plumbing, and related light engineering work, all to the highest of standards, and whilst almost as efficient as tradespeople specific to each trade, I am able to work to considerable advantage in any job that requires originality or is out of the ordinary, or even just on a very small job where several people of the different trades I cover would otherwise need to be involved in close liaison.

Obviously, my preferred work is within my more creative fields, but the occasional application required by - and rewards offered by - a building contract may be very welcome, especially if your job is local to me in Penzance, Cornwall. Send me an instant message to arrange a chat without any pressure, at any time.

This is a stock pile of fairly clearly defined ideas as well as ready-made or partially made objects. It is not an exhaustive or definitive list.

small sculptures, available "as is" or to be cast in metal, slip or resin

...recent work [page]

Pictured on the right is one of my newer small works, shown in this July-August 2005 exhibition. Ask me about my new small works.

Some of my "statement on a shelf" works, of the late 80s and early 90s, are shown amongst the melee in my . of them is also available from the picture gallery. Some of the originals have been damaged in storage and firing, and the casting of them in metal would give me the opportunity to return them to wholeness. This is the only effort I make to promote them. The finding of a home for a work tends to stimulate my interest in making others of its kind. To find out which small works are available as originals or can be cast to order, follow this paragraph's text or image links or just ask me.

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to commemorate my father (and other gentlemen who work with their hands)

My father worked in , in our home as well as for others, using his hands with great skill and precision as well as gently directing his fellow tradesmen. As a result of his attention I learned, at the age when it could make most difference, - which is preschool - many of the hand-eye skills that started me out on the path I now try to follow. A small man, his sculpture will sit without plinth on the ground, meditative but with his legs stretched out in front of him and crossed over, and a mug of tea by his side.

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Encounter

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functional surreal wood carvings (...at various stages of development)

Flowaseat

Semi complete, the tree providing part of its wood was planted by an 18th century king of England but it remains in storage awaiting an incentive to complete it. See it with the other works of the period at the end of my first wave sculpture gallery. , and .

Cedar Throne

Another 150 kg, metre diameter hunk of cedar from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London is sitting here, waiting to become an organic throne. The prospect of a keen occupant to take it off my hands upon completion would definitely hasten its undertaking.

Dragon/Lion Couch

an installation - Triptych of The Tarmac Angel

Described in some detail in my and . Those links take you directly to the text and full-screen image. Or see the work in context near the end of my first wave sculpture gallery. Needs gallery with at least six metres of clear wall space and a separate room of at least three metres by four.

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Stone Lotus

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Illuminated Sculpture Garden proposal

Inspired by with illuminations in dark, leafy gardens, this proposal is for illuminated sculptures for an established shrubbery, specifically to be open to the public at dusk. They will stimulate interest in nature and involve an element of searching for them as in a treasure hunt, or sculpture trail. The subtly lit, coloured sculptures will mysteriously contrast with the benign darkness, reflecting the natural organisms inhabiting the garden... and perhaps a few supernatural ones too.... A casting of Encounter could find a home here, in a remote glade. The illuminations could use no power sources other that than the sun, wind and rain, no connection to any cables, and very little maintenance. A winged creature, whose wings are photovoltaic panels, who plays its day's light back to you accompanied by an almost inaudible symphony orchestra deep in the ground beneath your feet which it nevertheless shakes.... A solar gas-lamp that collects rainwater and then burns it, its limelight glinting on a just-perceptible sculpture who occasionally adjusts her posture when an organic relative tickles her as she reposes....

To populate a garden like this takes more than one lifespan. If you would like to join or be joined by others illuminating the infinite but undemanding fractal of nature, than do send me an instant message. A healing project for visitors and makers alike.

Earth-wave-sculpture

A proposal to apply earth-moving machinery of the often landscape-destructive construction industry to a piece of derelict land, to make it into a landscape rich in organic form and living texture. The extreme landscape so created, more reminiscent of some of the wildest and most inhospitable places, could be created relatively cheaply using proven techniques, and be stable enough to be planted and opened to the public as a garden. Do send me an instant message if you have a hectare of derelict land you'd like transformed.