GLASGOW.- Acclaimed sculptor Andy Scott is currently working on two large sculptures titled The Kelpies which will be placed at the entrance of the Forth & Clyde Canal. Today, Andy Scott worked with 'Barron' a Clydesdale horse in his workshop in Glasgow, Scotland. The two horses were provided to help the sculptor finalise his drawings and make the anatomy of his project accurate.

The Kelpies will form part of an innovative “displacement lock” boat lift system which will bring vessels into the central Scotland canal network and the innovative Helix environmental regeneration scheme.

The sculptures, based on mythical Scottish sea horses, will reach a staggering 30 metres in height if completed at full scale and will be a major landmark for The Helix, Scotland and the U.K.

The two colossal horse heads will each dip and raise through a five metre span, displacing thousands of tons of water to enable the boat lift mechanism. They will be a major civil engineering project and will involve a partnership of engineers, fabrication companies, transportation and logistics, project managers and a multitude of others, including Andy of course, as originator of the idea.

Since graduation from Glasgow School of Art in 1987 Andy has worked across a diverse range of artistic & creative projects. Public sculpture has been at the forefront of his activities, with dozens of commissions completed for a wide client base including corporate and civic organisations, public housing associations, sports and leisure groups and private clients.

Andy is a figurative sculptor and works in steel and bronze. He combines traditional figurative symbolism and artforms with contemporary fabrication techniques to create iconic sculptures for the public realm. His portfolio and studio practice concentrates on handskills, draughtsmanship and manual dexterity.

Many of Andy's projects also incorporate educational aspects, especially the numerous commissions undertaken for Housing Associations and residential developments. In these instances Andy works with specifically appointed arts teachers to engage with community groups and schools, which helps demistify the role of the artist, explain the artwork and in some instances even incorporate the creative input of those communities.

Over the past few years Andy's practice has extended to Australia where he established a workshop in S.E. Queensland. He has established a presence in the field of public sculpture there which compliments his on-going prodigious output of artworks from his base in his native city of Glasgow, Scotland.