This silver table piece is a recent commission I have made for the Surveyors Club, a group of architects and surveyors. The design brief was based around acanthus leaves, a motif that appears extensively in ornamental artwork and classical Corinthian columns.

This bon bon dish consists of a bowl and cover. The domed cover is adorned with sculpted acanthus leaves, and when turned over it forms a free-standing shallow dish and stand.

At the beginning of the design process, one of the members of the Surveyors Club kindly sent me some real life acanthus leaves so that I could study them for inspiration. I was able to produce freehand drawings to capture the life and essence of the leaves and to understand their subtle qualities of form.

The symbolism and meaning associated with the acanthus is that of enduring life. The cyclical movement of the acanthus leaves represents the great length of life and prosperity of the Surveyors Club.

The Der Rosenkavalier piece was commissioned to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of the patron. After an evening at the theatre, to see Richard Strauss’ Opera, Der Rosenkavalier, the patron was inspired to commission a piece based on Act 2 of the Opera, where Sophie, the young daughter of a rich Viennese bourgeois is presented with a silver rose from Octavian resulting in love at first sight for the young couple.

I was challenged to listen to this opera as part of the process of developing the design brief with the patron. Translating the feelings of the two protagonists in this piece of music into a silver object was the key to what the patron wanted to communicate to his wife for their silver anniversary.

The hour glass form of this piece makes reference to the graceful movement and characteristics of a female soprano. Standing upright, she sings with a clear, shining tone. This piece represents that moment in time when the soprano reaches the crescendo in the musical passage and the newly opened rose is at its height of perfection unfurling with soft undulating edges. The wire form that pours out from the rose suggests the wave-like rhythm of the music.

When working on this piece, I found myself getting totally immersed in the whole process of designing and making. By the end of this commission, I had lived, breathed and knew the music of Strauss off by heart.

There was a real sense of joy when I delivered the piece to my client. Their reaction to seeing the piece for the first time was one of overwhelming delight and it was a memorable and special experience also for me.