The Artist

My creative career began with wood, not metal. In 2003 I set up shop as a pipe maker under the name Larrysson Pipes in Cornwall, England. I enjoyed almost two decades of sculpting briarwood pipes and selling one of a king pieces all over the world, and having made the cover of the industries most widely read publication. 

Hand Carved Wax Drip Pipe

In 2021 I decided to retire from pipe making, but creating beautiful things did not retire from me. The old pipe making studio was rebuilt into a flat for our son, so I needed to find a new creative outlet that could be made in a small space. 

Long ago, before emigrating from America to the UK, I made a few copper insect sculptures for my mother's fine flower garden. She wanted something tasteful for visitors to discover amongst the flowers. I noticed on our latest trip to visit family, that those sculptures still looked the same, even after more than 20 years. Copper lasts forever, even in the harshest climates. Mass produced garden art made from thin sheet steel will often last only a few seasons before it begins to rust and break apart.

Broken and Rusted Sheet Steel Bird Sculpture - Maker unknown

Copper would be my new medium. It can be beat, bent, shaped and brazed. It can be polished or treated with oxidizing agents to provide colour or verdigris. It provides endless ideas of things to sculpt from nature, whether flower, bird, bug or beast. Most importantly, the sculpture will last forever. 

Much of the learning and growing progress in metal sculpting comes by doing. It comes through hours of experimentation, trying new techniques and learning what works and what works better. This requires making a lot of sculptures! There are only so many spots in our house and garden for my copper creations to live, so how about adding one or two to your own home? 

The Forge