My first response to a creative challenge is to pick up a pencil, the stylus of my drawing tablet or anything else that will leave a mark on a surface. Markmaking or drawing is my most immediate way of dealing with a creative task.
Drawings can be delicate, they come on paper, on a screen, on fabric. And they happen in the two-dimensions (Lovers of Maths and sculptors: Yes, I see your raised hands and I agree with you...)
For years I have made them that way, hung them up, framed them,..done another set.
I now want them to be large and strong, hard and enduring. I want them to go on walls or stand free and all of this just as the stand-alone shape, no frame needed.
I like to see them paired with wood, plaster and stone and next to things growing (plants) and moving (people).
Starting form an image, a photograph or a sketch, I design same-size shapes in black and white.
These are then cut from sheets of steel using a laser cutting technique.
Shapes are 100% true to the black& white design drawing.
If the object is meant to hang on a wall, brackets for hanging will be either welded on at the back or incorporated in the shape and bent backwards.
There is mild steel (dark grey, rustic look, will rust) and stainless steel.
Stainless steel comes with a brushed surface finish or with a smooth one.
Depending on the intended use of the object, the thickness can vary from 2mm to 20 mm.
Let me advise you about the kind of steel and thickness to be used.
