My Grandfather, Samuel Killips, was a Fitter and Turner in his working days. He fixed aeroplanes at Archerfield during WW2. I was very close to him and my uncles, who were also metal workers, and knew that this was a profession of great skill as you were working on and fixing, precision machinery. Turns out it also involved lifting steel and welding for long hours, breathing toxic chemical in environments with ex-criminals, chain smokers, drug addicts and violent people. Through this trade, I learned the skill sets I use to make my sculpture now. Outside of the job, I was always out in nature with friends; to balance the industrial environment I was in to make a living. I was a bush walker and camper. I also spent a lot of time with surfing and scuba diving.
As a full time Artist: For the next twenty years I worked day jobs bringing up my family and made various sculptural works sporadically until I discovered the Metal sculpture class at the Brisbane Institute of Art. Here I began to make sculpture seriously every week and found my way into making larger outdoor sculpture. I was mixing the metal working skills of my trade and the design skills from the office. The influence of my fascination with all things plant and animal are providing the subject for my sculptures by this time. In 2020 I ceased full time work as a CAD designer and began my emerging career in the creative arts and haven’t looked back.
