My Gurus

Kees Verkade

Although from 1963 I spent over 40 years of my life as a dental surgeon in London, I had a parallel career in the arts starting in 1987. Kees, a talented Dutch sculptor, introduced me in his studio in Antibes to the basic techniques of producing a sculptural armature and the materials to begin to create a three-dimensional work of art. I started to use these techniques after incurring an injury in my surgery and acquiring Hepatitis B which kept me away from my practice for four months. Working in wax on a turntable as I was recovering, I found a new way of life. Quite similar to the hand-eye skills of dentistry, I found myself following Kees’ advice and within two years ended up with a commission to make a 16-metre national monument for Malaysia.