The MS Iona
P&O Cruises, England
This piece was specially designed for the MS Iona, a cruise ship due to enter service in May 2020. She will be the largest ship ever to enter service for the British market, operated by P&O Cruises, a Carnival cruise line based in Southampton, England.
This triptych is based on my work relating to natural bodies of water and how their color is influenced by temperature, depth, and the presence of minerals and algae, such as salt, sulfur, cyanobacteria, and halophiles. I source my own photographs of oceans, rivers, and natural hot springs and utilize images of aerial and drone photography as inspiration. My research into these liquid bodies has influenced me in new ways of employing color.
My work embraces bold color, abstract form, and an exploration of texture to reconsider the traditional treatment of material in blacksmithing. Typically, forged works are utilitarian and aesthetically masculine. I have spent my time as an artist veering away from these forms to employ the same traditional techniques to create pieces that reveal the organic nature of the material and breach concepts of what blacksmithing is and what it can be. My intention is to contribute and influence the craft contemporarily with a neo-traditional approach.
