Woodstock Farewell

My artist Statement for Leeds Sculpture Gallery

My work begins with a deep respect for wood as a living material shaped by time, growth, and

environment. From early encounters with woodcut prints at school age exploring grain to later

influences from biomorphic sculptors such as Jean Arp, Barbara Hepworth, and Henry Moore, I

have always been drawn to the natural forms that exist within the grain itself. From the splits and

shakes of the wood, my practice is rooted in discovering and revealing these hidden structures &

abstract forms that emerge through a dialogue between the organic qualities of the wood and my

own interpretive process.

Nature has been my constant teacher. Trees, forests, the Wood Wide Web and the intricate ecosystems of mosses, lichens, and fungi inform my understanding of connection and interdependence. As a former tree

surgeon, this relationship with Nature and respect for the wood only strengthened as I collected 

rejected and discarded pieces over the years. Equally influential are the geometric principles 

of sacred geometry as presented by Keith Critchlow and the structural clarity of the platonic 

solids and designs of Buckminster Fuller, which guide the balance and rhythm within my work.

The spiritual dimension of my practice evolved from personal experiences during the 

counterculture era following the moon landing and the Woodstock Music Festival in the summer of 1969. 

Be Here Now—both as philosophy and a formative book—continues to shape my approach to 

presence, attention, and personal evolution. Many of my pieces reflect moments of transition, 

recovery, and the search for clarity.

Throughout my life, carving has been both a creative expression and therapeutic grounding.

Whether working with knives, chisels, chainsaws, or power tools, I am compelled by the

meditative nature of shaping wood and the transformative potential of the material. My parallel

work in 1990’s Glasgow with community regeneration and social prescription has deepened my

belief in creativity as a catalyst for wellbeing, resilience, and personal discovery.

Recent years have brought me back to my roots in Jamaica and to a renewed engagement with

memory and heritage. From the carving of ‘Woodstock Farewell’ at my mother's home in

Woodstock, Westmoreland Jamaica in 1972 to the present day when, via 3D scanning, printing, 

moulding, a new version of the original, carved in Jamaican cedar, could be enlarged and cast 

in aged bronze resin. This process coincided with the destruction of the property of Woodstock

during Hurricane Melissa in October 2025, marking a profound point of reflection by reinforcing

the cyclical relationship between past and present in my work and life's journey.

Today, my sculpture stands as an exploration of identity, belonging, and the continual process of

becoming. I strive to create forms that honour the integrity of the material, embody the lessons of

lived experience, and invite viewers to encounter their own moments of presence and recognition.