I live and work in Donegal in the north west of Ireland, where the landscape, with the Atlantic on one side and glacial lakes, granite mountains and bog on the other is inspirational, in a way that gets under the skin and into the imagination, where it informs what and how I make. Ive worked with steel for 30 years, exhibiting at the Chelsea flower show for 20 of those. Most of my work involves the hot forging of steel, texturing and shaping it to give a three dimensional form.

While curved form softens steel; increasingly I’ve been adding hot glass, gilding and patination to my work. The natural unvarnished colours these elements bring into my pieces add a vibrancy and warmth without taking away from the essential nature of the metal. It is a privilege and one I dont take for granted to work with my hands and to love what I do.