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DECEMBER 2013 THE RIDER /49 Arabesque


The Kelpies Continued from Page 48


eventually bought by the Gold Coast City Council. I very rarely make an artwork simply for the beauty or drama of the subject matter. There is almost always a deeper motivation for the sculpture, and this was the case with Arabesque. Two things combined to motivate Arabesque: one was a socio- political theme which would take too long to go into here, but the other was more obvious. I made the sculpture at a time of terrible storms on that part of the Queensland coast, and the horse struck me as a symbol of the huge waves that had eroded the beach communities there,


the waves of course represented as “white horses” crashing on the shore.


Rider: How long does it take you to create a piece once the plans have been draughted and you first pick up a welding torch? Andy: Every project varies as they all have different chal- lenges. So there’s no straight answer to that question I’m afraid, other than, as long as the client allows. Some are a few months, some a year or so, and the real big pieces like Belfast and The Kelpies take many years. It’s also a case of the bigger the project, the bigger the hassle factor. Politics, planning and other issues have a way of


Maquettes in Chicago clouding creative intent!


Rider: And how do you work the metal with such large objects? Scaffolding, ladders, buckled into suspension safety wires? Andy: Yes, a combination of all of the above. My studio has a 28ft roof space (which means it’s hell to keep warm, so I don’t even try), so I can build all but the largest pieces myself. The real big ones are too complex anyway so I will engage outside contractors and fabrication com- panies. I have scaffolding, a forklift, overhead blocks & tackle, a reliable crane company who are always keen to help, so one way or another I figure it out.


Rider: Have any celebrities commissioned you to create masterworks of their horses (or other subjects)? Andy: Not to date, though a few have expressed their apprecia- tion of my efforts and I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many interesting folks through my works over the years, ranging from Princess Anne and The Queen, to many well known UK footballers & managers.


Rider: Do you have any horses


of your own or were they a part of your childhood experiences? Andy: No, I come from a very working class inner city back- ground, and nowadays owning horses would entail a concept of leisure time which my work rarely affords me! I have been smitten by these creatures pure- ly as an aesthetic obsession, a desire to add my abilities to the pantheon of amazing equine sculptors through the centuries. However, my great grandfather worked with Clydesdales in the docks of Glasgow, and his brother was a blacksmith, so there is a deep family connec- tion. I sponsor a horse for the Riding for The Disabled charity here in Glasgow and it’s a very heart-warming experience to see the benefits horses bring to those challenged youngsters.


for Canadian readers it may be difficult to imagine how Lon- don-centric the UK actually is, so it makes recognition and awareness a real challenge for artists located away from the south-east of England. I have joked with my team that when complete, The Kelpies heads are sure to become the lair of a James Bond super-villain (who has a passion for horses, of course!)


Rider: Having met the theatri- cal creators and puppeteers of War Horse here in Toronto, I felt a strong visual connection with your massive beasties and Joey, the war horse. Has any- one from the theatre or film reached out to you? Andy: Indirectly, yes, The Kelpies are the subject of a doc- umentary to be screened on BBC tv in 2014; I’m fortunate to have many of my works fea- tured on tv news here.


I think


Rider: After the Kelpies, what’s your next project? Andy: Currently, I’m working on a series of five horses for a private client in New York and a maquette for a proposed 65 foot high Friesian horse in Hol- land. I also have a large scale stag to make for the English city of Derby, and a memorial for the steelworkers of Ravenscraig


steelworks in Motherwell near Glasgow. To check out The Kelpies


www.scottsculptures.co.uk and www.thehelix.co.uk/


By Glenda Fordham The Rider


visit his


and more of Andy Scott’s mag- nificent steel horse sculptures, please


site


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