At first glance you may think you’re looking at a cast of a baby hand and foot, but that is not the case…

With this piece it was joyful to create something tangible as a memorial for a grieving parent but simultaneously hard-hitting facing the reality of stillbirth and baby loss.

My client lost a son far along in pregnancy, something I just cannot grasp and don’t think anyone can unless they’ve been there. There had always been something she wanted to do to commemorate him but hadn’t really known what - until we chatted.

Many parents get to do all the cute things with a new baby - photoshoots, first outfits and one of those special things is casting their hands and feet.

We decided to create two bespoke memorial sculptures referencing his heart-breaking hand and foot prints taken when he was born. She wanted something to touch, a hand she could hold. And an extra special part of this is that inside both bronzes are the precious ashes of her baby boy.

Sculpting in wax allows for a combination of moulding and carving - brilliant for detail on a very small scale and preferable to clay as it doesn’t crack.

The original waxes were moulded for casting as sculptures need to be made into a hollow wax version to be cast in metal.