| Paul creates metalwork using mainly copper and mild steel, which, where possible is reclaimed. The copper is sourced from old immersion heater tanks and a proportion of the flat plate is off-cuts from other metalworkers. His work ranges from candleholders and clocks to commissions, including a 3ft, 3D ‘wall hanging’, a flat copper chute water feature and a pair of speaker stands. Also undertaken are standard or more unusual gates and railings etc. In 2002 he was commissioned to produce thirteen trophies to be presented as the Cornwall Tourism Awards.
Production involves using an angle grinder to remove the grey surface scale of the steel then sanding with a flap disc on the grinder. Welding and braising are used to assemble the items, then after a final clean with the flap disc, heat is applied using a gas torch to colour the metal. The finished item is then sprayed with a coating of protective lacquer.
Paul started working with metal in the Blacksmith’s Shop at South Crofty Tin Mine, a job he stepped into following a bad road accident. This rekindled a longing to work creatively, which he had lost when refused a place at art school. When it was announced that the mine was to close Paul began to stay behind after work to make the most of the time he had left there. He started making things like candleholders, a weather vane and a fire grate for his wife and friends. On closure of the mine he sought work in Hayle, with two metalworkers who introduced him to the use of copper. However after around eighteen months his employers decided to go their separate ways and closed the business. At this point Paul took the decision to go it alone. With the help of West Cornwall Enterprise Trust and a loan from The Prince’s Trust he set up Abstract Arcs in July 2000.
Paul likes the idea that everyday items that have come to the end of their ‘useful’ life and have been scrapped can be transformed into a desirable form. If that form can also hide the furious activity needed in its creation then even better.
www.abstractarcs.com
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