Spike was born from an idea to create something truly unique, a futuristic angelfish transformed into a striking piece of wall art. I wanted to capture the elegance and movement of a fish while blending it with the raw, industrial character of metal and tools that had already lived a working life.
The inspiration for Spike came during recent fishing trips around Poole and Sandbanks. Watching the fish move through the water, glinting in the light, sparked the idea of recreating that energy and form using reclaimed materials. Rather than sourcing new metal, I decided to look closer to home, inside my own toolbox.
Spike is constructed entirely from my own tools and now-redundant spare parts. Items that once had practical, everyday purposes were given a second life: vernier gauges, spanners, a towing eye, spoons, worn cutting discs, and saw blades all found their place in the design. Each piece brought its own shape, texture, and history, contributing to the overall character of the fish.
For a long time, I had imagined using a pair of mole grips to form a hybrid fishhook-style mouth. This idea finally found its moment with Spike. Once I began laying out the parts, positioning and experimenting with how they worked together, the concept started to take shape. With the rough composition in place, I put pen to paper and sketched out the final design. That was the moment Spike truly came to life, his name felt right, and for some reason, everything just came together.
As with my usual process, I followed the sketch closely during construction, allowing the materials themselves to guide subtle changes along the way. All of the tools and recycled parts have a bright metallic finish, chrome-plated and galvanised, ensuring the piece will not rust or discolour over time. Preserving that clean, futuristic look was important to me, and I took great care to hide as many welds as possible so the individual components flow naturally into one another without distraction.
Once Spike was complete, I turned my attention to how he would be displayed. I made a custom picture frame for him to sit within and painted it black, allowing the sculpture to truly shine. The dark frame creates a clean, bold backdrop that enhances the reflective metal and helps every detail stand out, giving Spike a strong presence as a finished wall piece.
Spike is more than just scrap metal art. He represents creativity, reuse, and the belief that even the most ordinary or forgotten objects can be transformed into something bold, meaningful, and alive.