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I was born in East Runton and raised in Blakeney on the north Norfolk coast, overlooking the North Sea. At school at Gresham's in Holt, along with my O and A Levels I learnt the basic metalworking skills of forging and copper work.

On leaving school I worked for three years learning metalwork restoration skills at the Stiffley Lampshop, a well-respected outlet that specialised in the manufacture of reproduction period home and garden lighting as well as the restoration of antique lamps and lamp shades.

After travelling in America and Asia I moved to France and did a range of things, including skippering a 30-metre barge on the Canal du Midi and running a ski business in Chamonix.

I settled in the Dordogne, dealing in antiques and also restoring some of them, especially light fittings. As well as this and other metalwork, such as gazebos and pergolas, I moved into doing my own sculptures in metal and stone. I made many sundials, the most advanced form of which is an armillary sphere, essentially a mediaeval model of the dynamic celestial sphere which looks great as a focal point in a garden.

My sculptural interest moved on and I started to produce my Fish series. There are many petrified fossils near where I live, and I am intrigued by our genetic inheritance and the leftovers from our long descent from primeval fish, such as the fact that our salty blood results from our ancient ancestors swimming about in the oceans. But mainly the inspiration for my fish comes from a love of fishing engendered by coming from the Norfolk coast. I still return from time to time, staying at theWatch House on Blakeney Point, where there's a big sky and a wide sea.

Geoffrey Image
Metal Image Works