Simon’s inspiration comes
from an enormous variety of sources, but he is mostly influenced by what he
sees in nature and the world around him. Living and working as he does in
Dorset, one of Britain’s prettiest rural counties allows him to take advantage
of the enormous wealth of wildlife to be seen in this idyllic landscape, and
one of its most charming and enigmatic residents is the hare. Only rarely
spotted in early spring chasing one another around stubbled fields, hares spend
much of their time crouched in shallow scrapes, known as a form, and this is
the inspiration for the Buddha Hare. In this sculpture, Simon has beautifully
abstracted the form and detail of the hare giving him a wonderfully wise and
peaceful countenance.