How’re you doing?
I’m on Colwick Park, sat by the lake – it’s beautiful.
Your dragon stands at the entrance to Sneinton – how long have you been a resident?
About 27 years now. I’m from The Meadows originally, then moved to Sneinton when I was seven years old. I’ve lived here most of my life.
You had two dragons at the back of your house, what happened to them?
I gave them away, basically. Just moved on, new ideas. I don’t know when they went, I’m terrible with dates – I didn’t even know it was ten years since the dragon’s been up till you mentioned it.
The ones at your home were chained down. Was that for the practical or the aesthetic?
Both really. Chained, you know, keeping something vicious under control, I suppose.
Did anyone try and nick them?
Nah, a dangerous undertaking really. They were heavy and very, very spiky.
They obviously caught the eye of someone or other, how did the Sneinton Dragon commission come about?
It was Nottingham City Council. They did a survey of what art work the residents of Sneinton wanted, and everyone said they’d like a dragon. So that’s what they got.
Do you have a particular fascination with dragons?
It takes everything in, with the medium as well, stainless steel: it’s like a snake, a lizard, a dinosaur, a bat… and the lovely curves. You can get lovely curves into it. And great expression. I wanted it to look humorous, like an alligator – you don’t know whether it’s grinning or grimacing. Summat like that. Someone said it looks malevolent, whatever that means.
It took you about three months to make – how big is he?
The wings are 8ft each. It’s about 12ft in length, but it’s all curly wurly – if you uncoiled it and straightened his tail out, it would be about 20ft.
How did it feel when the last piece was in place?
Straight away I wish I’d made two slightly smaller ones and put them in the open. One on each side of the road – like a gateway to Sneinton. I don’t really like it at the minute, I’d change it if I could. That’s the way it is, you look at something and think, “Ooh, I could make that better.”
You do hear that most artists are never 100% happy with their finished work…
I don’t know whether I’m artist. Craftsperson, I suppose.
We’ll have beg to differ on that one. You didn’t start sculpting until you were in your forties…
I started in 2000. I was a welder by trade, but I had a bit of time and money on my hands and I thought it was a good idea. I saw a dragon gate by Gaudi in Barcelona and I thought, “I’ll have a go at making a dragon in my spare time.” So I made one and I just got carried away with it then, thinking, “How can I use this medium, stainless steel, and how can I form it, and how can I get the results that I want?” And that’s what I worked at.
Have you always worked in such large scale?
I like to work big if I can, not always convenient, though. I made one so big once that I couldn’t get it out of my workshop. I had to cut it up and then weld it back together outside.
Where was your workshop?
Mainly in my shed, and a gentleman very kindly let me use his garage in a garden in Sneinton for a while.
Have you done any other public art?
I did the Sneinton Dragon as cheap as possible for the City Council and was hoping get commissions off the back of it, but it never happened. I’d like the chance. Nottingham Castle are talking about having a revamp and I think a piece in there would go really well. Even if it was up for sale, and they just displayed it on their site – they get a lot of rich tourists, so you never know your luck. But they seemed reluctant, which I found surprising because it would help to bring a bit of enterprise to Nottingham city centre. You think they would have jumped at the idea because they would have got a piece of sculpture exhibited for next to nothing.
Do you draw as well?
I just do little patterns, as I call them. Just patterns and then piece it together. Everybody’s a bit artistic, everybody knows that a nice car is a nice car, it’s just an instinct that we have – I suppose the ladies know a virile man when his muscles are rippling, and vice versa.
If you would like to contact Robert with any enquiries regarding commissions, please contact ali@leftlion.co.uk.
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