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New Bull Sculptures for the Year of the Ox March 5, 2021

I’m really looking forward to my new bull sculptures coming out of the foundry. The new bull sculptures were originally made for a client to gift to someone who works on the stock market. The term ‘bull market’ describes a financial market in which prices are rising. Of course, bulls are known for their confident and self-assertive attitude, so it’s a great description. A bull sculpture is the perfect present for someone who works at the stock exchange!

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The new bull sculptures are made with a mixture of plasticine and African beeswax over a steel and aluminium armature and are being cast in bronze. I chose compositions that I think convey the ‘bullish’ character. Modelling them quite loosely also adds to their dynamic quality. I’m really pleased with how they seemed to come alive. They will be available when they emerge from the foundry in a couple of months. You can see a video below of the models taken in my workshop with a brief chat from me about the making of them.

It seems appropriate that my new bull sculptures are being produced this year, as 2021 is the Chinese New Year of the Ox. It is believed that people born under the auspices of the ox will display the bull’s positive attributes of hard work, determination and reliability. So a bull sculpture would also make a great gift for new babies born this year.

Cattle are some of my favourite animals and I really enjoy sculpting them. Having grown up on a cattle farm in Cornwall, they are a subject that I have been familiar with my whole life. My first sculpture was a calf’s head, when I was 12! Since then I have gone on to sculpt many bovines. Boran bulls in Africa, with loose dewlaps and a large hump above the shoulders. The famous fighting bulls, toros bravos and toros artistas, of Spain and Portugal. The handsome Limousin, the gentle Hereford and the sturdy Aberdeen Angus.

I’ve sculpted rare breeds like the White Park and the Longhorn. I’ve also made sculptures of Buffalo and Yak, and of course, everybody’s favourite, the Highland Cow. I’ve even experimented with a contemporary depiction of a bull inspired by prehistoric wall paintings, with Bull Relief.

I hope you enjoy my new bull sculptures as much as my previous ones. You can see a video below of the models taken in my workshop with a brief chat from me about the making of them. Keep an eye on the website in the next few months as we will add them to the Available Sculptures section when they are ready. There’ll be other new sculptures coming out soon as well.

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The origins of sculpture are likely to have begun with early man finding naturally formed objects which already looked a bit like something familiar. Holidaying in the Dordogne with family a few years ago, I found a piece of wood which looked just like a horse’s head.

Sculpture Collection

Hamish has a substantial range of sculptures for sale, all of which are listed on this website. If you see something you like that is labelled as sold out, please get in touch with Hamish directly to discuss a private commission.

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