Michael Hayman
As a longtime student of ancient cultures, I have always been drawn to the magic and romance of mythology and legends. A child’s fascination has been transmuted into an adult appreciation for the power of archetypes and of symbolism occurring within both the subconscious and the conscious mind. The motifs I create are symbols of the cycles of life, a labyrinth of man’s journey through the unknown towards infinity, absorbing the influences of nature, and harnessing its totem beasts. I have a particularly strong appreciation for the ancient Celts, and I actively seek to preserve the spirit of the ancient metalsmiths with my new interpretations of the old styles and motifs.
The pieces are for me a direct reaction and foil to our cold and technical modernity, , where design and motifs are considered disposable or temporary, such that I do not use computers or technology to achieve my designs and finished but instead with a sense towards preservation of traditional craft, carve or form them by hand, with knives, saws, chisels, pliers and hammers, the tools of the ancient smith. All motifs are first sketched on paper before wax or metal is altered. The pencil is my most powerful tool. ( except probably for an eraser!)
