This page showcases the Otter Sculpture, ‘Erik’, which is available to buy with different finishes.The handmade sculptures are all produced in Cumbria, in the north of the UK, by the established animal sculptor, Kirsty Armstrong.
Erik Otter is the life-size of a four to five month old male Eurasian Otter pup. The piece forms part of the ‘Kirsty Armstrong Sculpture’ British Wildlife sculpture range. The Erik Otter sculpture stands at 14” (35cm) tall, and weighs approximately 6.5kg with a shipped weight of 7.5kg.
The Otter has been designed, sculpted and produced entirely by hand in the UK. Only traditional sculpting methods and techniques are used, and in addition, they are cast within 30 miles of the studio. ‘Erik’ Otter is anatomically correct, with swirling fur detail sculpted onto the original using wooden and metal hand tools.
How ‘Erik’ was created…
The original sculpture was created by hand in modelling wax in Kirsty’s studio in the far north of England.
Several small 3D sketches of possible compositions were sculpted. The preferred design was then scaled up to the correct size and this was worked up.
It takes many hours working from photographic references to perfect the underlying anatomy of an animal. When that is correct, the fur detail can then be added over the top.
It takes hundreds of hours to perfect the original wax, however, the detail only has to be sculpted once. The finished original, with all its detail, then goes on to be moulded and reproduced.
The finished wax otter was moulded by ‘Lakeland Mouldings’, who are a specialist company in the English Lake District.
Small batches of Otters are cast from the mould, and are produced in various materials. Cold cast bronze, iron and pewter pieces are cast using real metal powder mixed with a type of resin.
White resin casts are also made, which are either realistically hand painted, or finished with bronze lacquer and verdigris paste.
The newly cast pieces go on to be polished or hand finished in Kirsty’s Cumbria studio. The hand painted versions are painted by a specialist figurine painting business in Langholm, in the Scottish Borders.
Inspiration ….
Kirsty spent her early childhood living on Shetland, where here a young otter is known as a ‘Peerie Draatsie. Kirsty’s family have strong genetic links to Viking settlers on Shetland and Iceland, hence the name ‘Erik’. It is also Kirsty’s grandfather’s name.
‘Erik’ otter is in a beach setting where he is surrounded by sand, pebbles and shells. On the original wax sculpture, sand from Spiggie beach on Shetland is used to create texture, and this is where Kirsty used to play as a child. There were also a couple of shell fossils included on the original base. These were provided by a follower of Kirsty Armstrong Sculpture on Facebook page.
Donations…
Shetland is such a special place for Kirsty and her family, and she has many fond memories there from her childhood.
In 2024 Kirsty returned to Shetland with a cold cast bronze ‘Erik’ which she delivered to Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary The owners, Jan and Pete, had provided vital measurements, as well as photographic reference for Kirsty to work from. Hillswick Wildlife Sanctuary in north Shetland. They have been caring for sick, injured and abandoned seals and otters since 1989 and rely on donations to continue their work. Erik Otter is on view at the visitors centre there. Kirsty donates an amount to Hillswick from each Erik otter purchased.
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Aftercare…
The cold cast metal versions of Erik are suitable for both inside and outside use. However, he can only be placed outside if you have requested for it to be lacquered, which gives it a degree of weather resistance. The hand painted Erik is for inside display only, and can be lightly dusted with a soft paintbrush.
Limited edition…
This piece is a limited edition of 300 pieces in a variety of finishes. As they are hand made in small batches, please refer to the current processing times shown on my British Craft House shop product listings.
Shop now…
Just Kirsty Sculpture & Gifts is hosted by The British Craft House and is the official online store of Kirsty Armstrong Sculpture.
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