My giant tortoise under construction.
With the possible exception of my bear and salmon commission in 2009, this is the largest, heaviest, and most detailed sculpture I have yet undertaken.
There is SO much work in everything you see: the panels of the shell, each individually shaped and grooved, which all had to fit together like a 3D jigsaw puzzle; and the beaten texture of the skin… I still feel the ache in my shoulders when I think of it. But he was worth it: this is what I set out to do, and I love the final, massive (105kg, 175cm long, 135cm wide) result.