Wire sculptor

Rupert Till on the chance stumble that ignited his sculpting medium, working with Willie Mullins' superstars, and his priceless Shetland

- Becky Murray

My father Patrick founded the Hunsley Beacon Beagles in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I grew up hunting and some of my best memories were getting home from school to spend time with the puppies in the kennels and my first pony, a little bay called Pickles.

I studied at the Chelsea School of Art in London. Once when I returned home to Yorkshire, I was riding my father’s horse when he tripped over an old pheasant pen. When I went back to clear it up, I realised the wire had stretched and that it would hold its form really well if you bend it in a certain way.

From there I started working with chicken wire and this evolved, and I now work with bronze, steel and copper wire.

Drawing is the backbone of what I do and I use my drawings to guide where I put the wire. When I see something, I want to draw it, especially a beautiful horse in the show ring.

Understanding movement is important, and I’ve spent a long time studying horse anatomy. When you understand movement, you can understand balance and flow, and one of the greatest compliments I’ve had from someone is that my sculptures have souls and you can feel they have life.