Stainless Steel | Bud

Bud explores a moment of transition. The point at which potential becomes visible. Suspended between concealment and emergence, the form holds tension, suggesting growth, transformation and contained energy. While the sculpture is abstract, its reference is instinctive; smooth, swelling curves that protect what lies within, yet imply imminent release.

This stainless steel version of Bud is derived directly from the original bronze form, scaled and reinterpreted to suit a different material language. Fabricated in mirror polished stainless steel using a cold-forming process, the sculpture achieves a seamless surface with exceptional clarity and depth. Cold-forming allows for a higher level of refinement than casting alone, reducing porosity and producing a finish that is both precise and highly reflective.

In stainless steel, Bud takes on another dimension entirely. The polished surface reflects its surroundings - garden, sky, light and movement - causing the sculpture to change continuously throughout the day and across the seasons. What is otherwise a calm, resolved form becomes subtly animated by its environment, without ever losing its sense of stillness.

Pictured here at approximately five feet in height, and installed on a circular sandstone base within a garden setting in North Wales, this version of Bud was commissioned by a client who already owns several of my bronze works. On this occasion they chose mirror polished stainless steel to suit the setting and atmosphere of the landscape. 

It is encouraging to see how a single form can move confidently between materials and scales, while retaining its underlying character. This adaptability reflects a broader thread running through my work: that ideas can be revisited, re-scaled and re-materialised in response to place, allowing clients to engage with existing forms in ways that feel personal, considered and entirely their own.