Jonathan was brought up on a livestock farm in East Sussex, where his deep empathy with animals and nature flourished. He trained at Camberwell school of Art, and later as a stone Mason with the French Historic Monuments. In 2004 after 10 years teaching sculpture and drawing at various schools; Canford School, Eton College, Emanuel School, he moved with his young family to a farm in West Wales to concentrate on his sculpture. Surrounded by a rumpus of chickens, various breeds of sheep, competition horses and poultry and the rich wildlife and landscape of Pembrokeshire provide a diverse resource for his work.
He prefers to work from direct contact with the animal, sculpting the clay model in situ. Getting close up to the subject enables him to manifest a genuine understanding in his modelling of anatomical structure. He is also interested in the portrayal of the animal in human history. Jonathan creates the essence of an animal’s character and its idiosyncrasies. He is fascinated by the alchemy of the bronze casting process and often casts his own work, enabling him to understand the importance of surface texture in the clay original and how the eye reads the sculpture in cast metal..
