Every now and then I have time to explore different artistic avenues. I enjoy having this time to challenge myself and perhaps look at something totally different to what I have done before. This is how my Crocodile on a Box garden sculpture came about, and to date It still stands as one of my most popular pieces for people to buy. As an artist, I do love a bit of satire on occasion. I like people to look at some of my sculptures and have a huge smile on their face. It doesn’t have to have a to have a real deep and meaningful message, a smile or laugh of appreciation will do just fine.
So, when I do get the rare time to myself, I like to ‘let those creative juices flow’ (sorry for the cliché….)
From my love of motorbikes, which once upon a time I owned, (much to my mothers’ disappointment….). Until my bike met a car and put an end to that particular love affair. But I still appreciate the work that goes into these great machines, and the detail of such a Motorbike as the iconic Harley Davidson.
Making a Harley, I thought, wouldn’t be too taxing… I was wrong. The detail that had to go into this, probably made it one of my most time-consuming pieces of garden sculpture to create to date. The wheels, the spokes, the engine parts, all had to be just right, and not only this, the Harley itself has to be strong enough to take the weight of a human, or, as I decided, a great big gorilla, with attitude….
So, the gorilla on a motorbike idea was born. It took me the best part of 4 months to build. He had many admirers, and like all my sculptures, when ready, we had a photo shoot with Carrie Bugg, my faithful photographer, that helps me bring all my sculptures to life, through her awesome photography skills.
The lovely people at Lymington Coastal Gallery (Bev and Stewart) who continually support me and other local artists, asked for the Gorilla on a motorbike sculpture to attend a local business opening, called ‘49’ in Lymington. The Gorilla and I met the local MP Sir Desmond Swayne, photo opportunities all round, for an MP with a rather different and quite unique garden sculpture……
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And then, earlier on this year his presence was requested again at a Charity event in the New forest…… The event had an Out of Africa Theme, and was in aid of an amazing charity called Regain. My Gorilla on a Motorbike was perfect in this setting. The evening was set against the most beautiful back drop, of the river, manicured lawns, Tiki torches with the most incredible house where the charity event was set to begin.
Our amazing hosts couldn’t have been more generous to let this happen within the grounds of their beautiful home. Gordon the Gorilla caught the attention of the guests and was generally the most ‘selfied’ Gorilla there….. Actually, he looked so incredible within this setting that the owners of that particular amazing house, decided that he should stay on as a permanent fixture, and bought him right there and then ( of course a nice amount of the sale went to the charity).
He now sits comfortably looking over this incredible house, set amongst beautiful manicured gardens, and a Lake. I think he’s in his element really…….
There’s no telling where my work is going to end up, it could be 10,000 miles away in Argentina or 10 miles away in the New Forest. Either way, its always intriguing for me, at the beginning of any new sculpture, to guess what its journey is going to be……
Michael Turner is a Stainless Steel sculptor, based in the New Forest, UK. Michael creates beautiful bespoke stainless steel garden sculptures to clients all over the UK and Worldwide. They are all unique and beautiful garden sculptures, from the tinyest of Geckos, to the biggest of Gorillas. You can see many unique pieces of Michael’s work that you may not necessarily see here on the website, if you follow him on Facebook or Instagram
Michael is happy to take on commissions, if you have any personal requests you can get in touch through the website or contact him on Facebook/Instagram.
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