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From 1975 Paul served a
traditional four-year blacksmithing apprenticeship near his
Worcestershire home before travelling extensively overseas. His
time was spent working metals in several countries, including
three years training rural smiths in Zimbabwe.
In 1988 he returned to Britain and
studied Art and Design at Birmingham Polytechnic before setting
up Forging Ahead at his studio-forge in Belbroughton.
Paul forges and fabricates steels
and non-ferrous metals to his own innovative designs using both
traditional and modern techniques. His main interest lies in the
design and manufacture of sculpture for exterior location, either
for civic sites, public parks or private gardens. His work also
includes indoor functional sculpture such as fire baskets,
bookends, candlestands, clocks and lighting as well as larger
outdoor pieces such as sundials, weathervanes, gates, fountains,
bridges, and garden furniture. Paul has over forty years'
experience in designing and forging metals.
His public commissions include
park and street sculptures and he has recently installed a large
sculpture of three flying geese on a traffic island on the A5 at
Belper, Derbyshire (5 metres high). Paul won the competition to
design and make new gates for Worcester Cathedral. Work has also
been commissioned by Hereford and Worcester County Council,
Chester City Council, Tameside MBC, South Staffordshire District
Council, Birmingham City Council, Centro Transport, South
Hereford District Council, Wrekin District Council, Groundwork,
British Waterways, Birmingham Womens Hospital, Wolverhampton
Business Airport, and many others.
Paul's work is exhibited in
galleries in England and Wales and has also been exhibited and
sold at The Barbican and Sothebys. He has won several awards for
his work. His pieces were included in the Crafts Council
supported "Fe" exhibition that toured
countrywide.
Recent commissions
* Family group sculpture, 1.75 ton
and 4 metres high, in forged steel, for a town centre location,
Lancashire. Commissioned by MAB (UK) Ltd.
*Large sundial for staff garden
Cabot Plastics, Manchester
* Half-tonne, 4-metre-high floral
sculpture based on Rudyard Kipling poetry for a new public park
in Ashton-under-Lyne. Commissioners: Tameside M.B.C.
* War Memorial for Remembrance
Gardens, Denton, Lancashire.
* Entrance sculpture and feature
railings for Bescot Station, Walsall. Commissioned by Centro
Transport
* Ballustrade and staircase
railings for new Golf Centre Clubhouse, Bromsgrove, Worcs.
* Worcester Cathedral Water Gates
- a pair of forged steel gates, 3.5 metres high and 2.4 metres
wide.
* Decorative playground entrance
feature commissioned by Wrekin District Council
*"Arrows" sculpture for
new school. Commissioned by Hereford and Worcester County
Council.
* 5 metre high "Flying
Geese" sculpture on traffic island on the A6, Belper,
Derbyshire.
*Village Green Gates, Floral gates
with scythe motifs to celebrate the village’s industrial
history. Commissioned by Belbroughton Parish Council.
* Sculpture and seating for new
Peace Garden, Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
* Gates, and feature sculpture for
canal restoration project, Ashton under Lyne.
* History Post, 4 metre high
sculptural entrance marker for new housing estate, Telford
* A series of sculptural windvanes
for a playground in a Birmingham nursery school.
* 6 m high, Entrance Sculpture
"Up and Away" for Wolverhampton Business Airport.
* New entrance gates for Grosvenor
Museum, Chester.
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