01-Sketch
Growing up in windswept Holderness, Emma was forever drawing the countryside around her and the birds and animals that lived in it. Today, her sculptures always start with a sketch, enabling her to define from the start the character of the animal or bird she’s portraying.
02-Weld
A welder’s mask may not be obvious attire for a sculptor, but it’s crucial for Emma. She starts her larger pieces by making a strong steel armature, or skeleton, to support the woven ‘skin’, which may be of willow, bronze or galvanised mild steel.
03-Weave
Emma uses only the most basic of tools when she reaches the weaving stage of a sculpture: for metal wires, an angle grinder to cut the lengths of wire to size, plus pliers and mallets for shaping; for willow, secateurs. Other than that, it’s all done with her bare hands…