I had never handled clay before and was amazed how easily modelling came to me. My first effort was a model of my pet Labrador and I was surprised how well it came out. Encouraged, I started to teach myself. When my family moved to Italy for a while, I learned to work in wax and became more ambitious as my confidence grew. It was back in my home town of Birkenhead that I went on to join a proper class at the local art college. I learned more about clay, but there was nobody to teach sculpting. It was trial and error, but I made a few pieces and fired them myself. And then, in Chester, I found a book by a sculptor called Bruno Lucchesi. I loved his style and was fascinated by his step-by-step guide on how to make terracotta figures - mostly reclining nudes and women doing ordinary, every-day things. Here was someone who spoke my language! I journeyed to a foundry in Tuscany which he mentioned and saw fantastic statues being cast. It was a the most wonderful place, attracting artists from all over the world. I decided to stay for a few weeks, met Lucchesi himself, and ended up spending three months there!