Sculptural Technique

The sculptures are made by hand, they are not, as some people imagine, wrapped around a mould or model or treated with heat.

David Begbie takes a flat sheet of steelmesh, which, when it has no structure, is quite malleable. He cuts out the basic shape of his idea then he works the mesh with his hands, much as another sculptor would work with clay. The only technical intervention is when the sculpture has to be welded onto its base.

The shadows created by lighting the sculpture are an integral part of the whole and something which David is conscious of when working in his studio. He is aware at every stage of the multi-dimensional effect of each artistic decision he makes.

The sculptures are very robust and survive quite rough handling. We export and ship very many each year without problem.

We are often asked “how long does it take to make one sculpture?”. Unfortunately this brings us back to the old question “how long is a piece of string?” David does not work on just one piece at a time, but often creates many together, adding and adjusting as his ideas develop. It is therefore difficult to gauge how long any individual piece takes.

Each piece is unique and cannot be copied exactly, however David does sometimes work on similar shapes and repeat themes, evolving each in a different way and giving each its own individuality.

David has been working with steelmesh for over 20 years, and the clean simplicity of the lines belie the years of accumulated technical skill and respect for his medium which make the finished works so successful and beautiful.

The Editioned Works are a mixture of sculpture and photography  To produce one of the sculptures in flat panel, David must first have made a unique sculpture.  This is then photographed and the images maniputalted to produce the optimum image of the piece  which David then has etched out of flat steel panel.  The portraits are even more of an amalgum of the two disciplines, with David using the mesh to hold the features together.  This new artform which David Begbie developed in 2005 has enabled him to explore the potential of a single image, using colours and different materials to produce variations in mood and effect.