'I love animals. Animals are everything to me; they are a continuous source of amusement, happiness, sadness and of course inspiration. My aim is to create humorous, three dimensional cartoon images; I attempt to attribute animals with human characteristics, using word play and common phrases, recalling the old silent movies where moments in time and emotions were captured by expression alone. When I create I tend to portray mainly domestic animals I know well and have connected with. I come from Wales, but I have lived in the Midlands since 1969. My passions are linked to my childhood years spent in and around the Welsh countryside and culture. I have always been intrigued and entertained by everything nature and history have to offer. My sculptures are a reaction to observations of animal behaviour; I set out to make people laugh. The techniques I use involve raku because I like the unpredictable results and the excitement experimentation evokes, the natural finishes and the whole primeval smoke, fire, exposure and physical involvement of this ancient process. Animals are amazing and portraying them in this way is what I do.'