New Forest Poppy Hunt 2023

The New Forest Poppy hunt has come around so quickly this year! Once again, I can’t wait to hide the poppies around the New Forest, for all you lovely people to find them. This year’s poppies are a little different from past years. I’ve acquired some original WW1 & 2 military buttons. To commemorate as many of the battalions as I can, I have set a number of different buttons into the center of the poppies. I’m pleased to say, they look beautiful.

If you have only just discovered the poppy hunt, here are a few tips on how you can get involved. First of all, follow me on my Instagram or Facebook page. Due to me posting everything on Instagram, it does sometimes take a minute or 2 to upload onto Facebook, so you are at an advantage if you follow me on Instagram. Generally speaking, I hide the poppies South of the New Forest. Past years have included Milford on sea, Lymington, Burley, Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, etc.

The Poppy Hunt – Saturday 11th November 2023

7 a.m. (ish) I will post the first clue of where I have hidden the poppy. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can sit at home with a nice cuppa and wait for the clues because there will be people waiting in cars/bikes, ready to be the first to get that poppy….. and maybe take a powerpack for your phone for the day 😉

Whoever finds that poppy will need to do the following

  1. As soon as you can, post a picture of yourself with said poppy onto my Facebook page or Instagram to show everyone it has been found, so as to let others know.
  2. Donate to my Just Giving page for the Royal British Legion

I will keep posting clues almost every hour throughout the day until all the poppies have been found.

I ask everyone to be considerate of driving or otherwise. Please do not speed, especially in the Forest where animals could be hidden around the corner.

For those who don’t live in the area, or can’t do the Poppy Hunt, or just have not been lucky enough to find one this year, I have another 11 to Auction off. The 11 highest Bids will win. All proceeds will go to the Royal British Legion. I have a lot of people asking if I sell the poppies. I’m afraid I do not sell them, these are the only 2 ways that you can get the poppies, to find one on the hunt or to be one of the highest bidders in the Auction.

To bid on one of these poppies, please email me at info@michaelturnerstudios.co.uk. You can give me your highest bid, and I will add you to the list. Entries for bids will close at 8 p.m. on 11th November 2023. All successful bids will be able to donate to my Just Giving Page I will inform all those lucky enough to have won in the auction by Sunday 12th November.

I hope everyone can get involved in some way. It’s such an important, and very emotional day for me. We need to remember all the incredible people and animals who have fought for our country.

Every year I’m blown away by people’s generosity. If we can raise a little more than last year, that would be just amazing. We will never forget.

Beaulieu Sculpture Exhibition

I’m very excited to be showing my sculptures at Beaulieu Sculpture Exhibition this summer. The sculpture park is in the most beautiful setting, and you can visit over this summer, up until 30th August.

Not only are there hundreds of amazing sculptures to see, but you can also visit the historic Palace, and not to mention the incredible collection of cars they have on show. It’s a perfect day out for the family.

The sculptures I have on show are the Peregrine Falcons, my Horse bust, a lion, and the Leopards head. You can get up close and personal to all of them.

So head on down to Beaulieu, and whilst you’re at it, if you take any photos of my work, be sure to ‘tag’ me on Instagram @michaelturnerstudios

Sculpture at Beaulieu Exhibition

New Forest Poppy Hunt 2020

 

NEW FOREST POPPY HUNT

Wednesday 4th 2020 7am-5pm(wish…)

 

Due to coronavirus the government have had to start a second Lockdown. This has meant that my usual

New Forest Poppy hunt has had to be bought forward  by a few Days.

Im sorry if some of you are working and cant get out, but it was the best I could do this year and didn’t
want to cancel completely. So, its my Annual instagram/Facebook New Forest Poppy Hunt. For those of
you who don’t know…….. I hide 11 handmade and individual poppies that I have created, throughout the day around the New Forest. I will Post a photo clue on my instagram page, and you have to find it! When
you find it, simply donate to the Royal British Legion, which a link will be set up on my Facebook page &
on my instagram story on the day of the hunt that you can use.
So, get your phones charged, keep an eagle eye out, and have some fun! *Obviously social distancing rules
apply. If you do meet other poppy hunters on route, keep your distance. Please act responsibly, and if you
are driving, please do not speed.
Let’s raise as much as we can, as this year the charity has had to do things very differently, and as a
consequence may not be able to raise as much. Dare I say, even if you don’t find one of my poppies, feel
free to donate on my Facebook page.
Thanks!

#lestweforget

Gorilla on Motorbike, his Journey, and why I made him

Every now and then I have time to explore different artistic avenues. I enjoy having this time to challenge myself and perhaps look at something totally different to what I have done before.  This is how my Crocodile on a Box garden sculpture came about, and to date It still stands as one of my most popular pieces for people to buy. As an artist, I do love a bit of satire on occasion. I like people to look at some of my sculptures and have a huge smile on their face. It doesn’t have to have a to have a real deep and meaningful message, a smile or laugh of appreciation will do just fine.

So, when I do get the rare time to myself, I like to ‘let those creative juices flow’ (sorry for the cliché….)

From my love of motorbikes, which once upon a time I owned, (much to my mothers’ disappointment….). Until my bike met a car and put an end to that particular love affair. But I still appreciate the work that goes into these great machines, and the detail of such a Motorbike as the iconic Harley Davidson.

Making a Harley, I thought, wouldn’t be too taxing… I was wrong. The detail that had to go into this, probably made it one of my most time-consuming pieces of garden sculpture to create to date. The wheels, the spokes, the engine parts, all had to be just right, and not only this, the Harley itself has to be strong enough to take the weight of a human, or, as I decided, a great big gorilla, with attitude….

So, the gorilla on a motorbike idea was born. It took me the best part of 4 months to build. He had many admirers, and like all my sculptures, when ready, we had a photo shoot with Carrie Bugg, my faithful photographer, that helps me bring all my sculptures to life, through her awesome photography skills.

 

 

The lovely people at Lymington Coastal Gallery (Bev and Stewart) who continually support me and other local artists, asked for the Gorilla on a motorbike sculpture to attend a local business opening, called ‘49’ in Lymington. The Gorilla and I met the local MP Sir Desmond Swayne, photo opportunities all round, for an MP with a rather different and quite unique garden sculpture……

 

 

And then, earlier on this year his presence was requested again at a Charity event in the New forest…… The event had an Out of Africa Theme, and was in aid of an amazing charity called Regain. My Gorilla on a Motorbike was perfect in this setting.  The evening was set against the most beautiful back drop, of the river, manicured lawns, Tiki torches with the most incredible house where the charity event was set to begin.

Our amazing hosts couldn’t have been more generous to let this happen within the grounds of their beautiful home. Gordon the Gorilla caught the attention of the guests and was generally the most ‘selfied’ Gorilla there….. Actually, he looked so incredible within this setting that the owners of that particular amazing house, decided that he should stay on as a permanent fixture, and bought him right there and then ( of course a nice amount of the sale went to the charity).

He now sits comfortably looking over this incredible house, set amongst beautiful manicured gardens, and a Lake. I think he’s in his element really…….

 

Gorilla on a Harley Davidson

 

There’s no telling where my work is going to end up, it could be 10,000 miles away in Argentina or 10 miles away in the New Forest. Either way, its always intriguing for me, at the beginning of any new sculpture, to guess what its journey is going to be……


Michael Turner is a Stainless Steel sculptor, based in the New Forest, UK. Michael creates beautiful bespoke stainless steel garden sculptures to clients all over the UK and Worldwide. They are all unique and beautiful garden sculptures, from the tinyest of Geckos, to the biggest of Gorillas. You can see many unique pieces of Michael’s work that you may not necessarily see here on the website, if you follow him on Facebook or Instagram

Michael is happy to take on commissions, if you have any personal requests you can get in touch through the website or contact him on Facebook/Instagram.

 

 

 

Game Of Thrones Inspired Dragons Egg

Game of Thrones inspired Dragons Egg

Game of Thrones seems to have gone ‘Epic’ as the kids say! When my wife started to watch it, I thought she was a little bonkers to say the least. Don’t get me wrong, I love Epic movies / series, but Game of Thrones just isn’t my kind of thing. I’m much more a Star Wars kind of guy, give me Sci Fi any day.  In the past I have been known to make the odd Star Wars inspired pieces, like C3PO and R2D2. Not to mention I gave the X Fighter a good go, and I have to say, I was pretty pleased with all of them.

So, what better way to say ‘Happy Birthday’ to my wife, than by making her a Game of Thrones Dragons Egg! Making it was actually quite similar to making the scales on my Crocodile sculpture. Each piece cut into diamond shapes, and I gently knocked the pieces with a hammer to shape them. Piecing it altogether, to make the Dragon Egg.

Now for the really cool part!….

I commissioned the very talented Jo Vane, the British jewellery designer. She made the bracelet, that would go along with a necklace I had previously had made by Jo, for my wife, Jenny. Both the necklace and bracelet had our children birth stones set inside. I then made a space inside the Dragon’s Egg sculpture, for the box which held the bracelet inside (keeping up?…)

When the day came for my wife’s birthday, and she opened her present, I think she was pretty pleased with the Dragons Egg.  Her face lit up, when she realised that she was actually able to open up the Dragon Egg, to find the Jo Vane bracelet If you want to see the little movie of my wife opening up the egg, you can see it here on my Facebook page.

 

So, brownie points to me I guess! I love making these gifts, knowing they’re going to last a lifetime. One small problem is I think I may have raised the bar quite high, and I think my wife expects another sort of egg next year!…… I swear I heard her say something about a Faberge?……

If you would like to spoil a Game of Thrones enthusiast with a similar dragons egg, I’m happy to make one for you. Just get in touch. 


Michael Turner is a Stainless Steel sculptor, based in the New Forest, UK. Michael creates beautiful bespoke stainless steel garden sculptures to clients all over the UK and Worldwide. They are all unique and beautiful garden sculptures, from the tinyest of Geckos, to the biggest of Gorillas. You can see many unique pieces of Michael’s work that you may not necessary see here on the website, if you follow him on Facebook or Instagram

Michael is happy to take on commission, if you have any personal requests you can get in touch through the website or contact him on Facebook/Instagram.

 

Regain and UNICEF charity events

Regain and UNICEF Charity Events

Its been a while! So, I thought I best write my summer blog! What a great couple of months we’ve had here. I’ve been so privileged to be asked to not 1 but 2 great charity events in the UK. The first event was in aid of Regain, which is the only charity dedicated to improving the independence of all British men and women who have become tetraplegic through sports injury. For my small part, I donated one of my seahorses, and we attended the most amazing night, held in a private home in Beaulieu. We got to meet the incredible people that have been directly affected and helped through this amazing charity.

The Second event, was the UNICEF soccer aid Gala dinner, held at the Science museum in London. I was truly flattered to be asked to be part of the event and help raise money for UNICEF. Not only was it a great night for the charity, I got to meet some of my sports heroes in the process. Mo Farrah was the kindest, and most generous of his time. He even gave me some tips on how we can encourage our son to Run and enjoy it! We met so many celebrities that night, my wife and I had to pinch ourselves. I was really proud to be able to be part of such a great event. Even my Crocodile sculpture got to have a few selfies with the rich and famous!

Mo Farah with Michael Turner

So, back down to reality with a Thud! I’m back in my workshop, enjoying this incredible weather we’re having, working on my next commission, which is 3 flying Geese sculptures. These are ready to be installed this week, and I’m looking forward to seeing the end result once in place in the client’s home.

Once that’s finished, I have a sculpture to complete, ready to fly out to Texas in the USA. That’s the great thing about my job, I’m lucky enough to have my sculptures reside in America, France, Africa, Switzerland, Dubai, even as far as Australia.  I’m not sure how far reaching this could go, who knows, perhaps one day I could have work on Mars?…….. Always good to have a goal to work to I suppose……

 

 

New Forest Poppy Hunt

Michael Turner Studios – Poppy Hunt 2018

Wow, what a weekend to Remember! November 11th, each year, for the past 4 years I have had the pleasure of helping to raise as much money as possible for The Royal British Legion, by way of a poppy Hunt……

My idea of the hunt came from my Free art Friday giveaway, when I like to make a little something, hide it in the local area, and post a photo onto my Facebook page of where I’ve hidden it, and then wait for someone to find it (finder keepers!!…) So, from that, 4 years ago, wanting to commemorate and remember my Grandfather, who fought in the second world war, I decided to make 11 poppies, and hide them around the New Forest, throughout the day, for people to find and then donate what they could to the Royal British Legion.

I was astounded at just how many people wanted to get involved, and that first year was emotional, but also a really positive experience. So, that’s how it began, four years into it, and I’m still loving it, more and more people getting involved, and it seems to create community spirit, with a little friendly banter involved to boot!….

This year I asked people to give me details of people they knew who fought in the war. They gave me names and service numbers, so that I could then punch the service numbers into the petals of each of the 11 poppies. This then gave the poppies more of a true meaning, remembering 11 service men and women who fought in the war. Making sure we will remember……

Another good thing to come out of the poppy hunt, for me, is having my children involved. They love helping hide them, and then watching when people find them. Its been a great way to help them understand why it is we do this every year, and how their Great, Great Grandparents fought in the war.

Im already thinking of how different I can make it for next year, Bigger and better than the last. Watch this space! If you want to get involved, you just need to like my Facebook or Instagram page to be in with a chance of finding either a poppy, or a little pieces of Michael Turner Studios Artwork.

For past Media coverage on my Poppy Hunt please visit BBC

    

Spring 2018 Blog

Michael Turner Studios Spring 2018 Blog
Michael Turner Studios Blog 2018

 

Crikey its cold in my workshop!! Trying to keep warm in this freezing cold weather has its challenges whilst trying to create ‘amazing garden sculptures’!…. Even poppy my Labrador is looking at me pleadingly.  As if the several blankets and electric heater is not enough for her!…

The winter months can sometimes be a little quieter than the rest, which is actually great for me, especially after my last year being my most successful to date, it’s nice to actually get some time to create something for me.

Its times like these I have the freedom to be inspired by something different, be open to ideas, and see what happens……. On these occasions I feel I usually end up making some of my best garden sculptures.

My most recent ‘winter project’ is the Leopard Head.  I’m really pleased with this one,  and liked the idea of the eyes being lit up.  Its had a great impact, and so far my Facebook friends, far and wide, agree with me. He definitely has a presence, and I think he belongs in someone’s cool pad, or even in on display in a bar somewhere.  Who knows?….Watch this space……

The next exciting creations will be additions to the interior collection. Going on the success of last year, I have decided to make a few more smaller pieces which I hope will enhance the current collection.  They’re not quite completed, but it wont be long before I start selling a few more of the smaller things, which should be around spring time….

So roll on the spring, the snow is great fun for me and my kids, but cold for Poppy my Labrador, and the workshop is freezing! Try as I might, welding with my mitts on isn’t working!…….

If you like my website, and what I do, you can follow me on Twitter, facebook and Instagram. On occasion I like to make small sculptures and hide them, posting images on social media with clues, all good fun, but you need to like my page to be in with a chance of finding one!…..

 

 

20th Anniversary of Michael Turner Studios BLOG

20th Anniversary of Michael Turner Studios Blog

20 years! I cant believe it! Just over 20 years ago, I left college, moved back home with my parents (don’t we all!…) and had few different jobs from a postman and then to working for Woolworths (I’m sure most of you remember them don’t you?!?…..) Like most, I came to a crossroads in my life and was offered a very respectable job as a manager with Woolworths, and at the time I was still tinkering away in my parents garage, selling the odd ‘nuts and bolts’ pieces I’d made. I asked that loaded question to my parents, ‘what should I do’? Take the security of a well-paid managers job, probably pay off my student loan and know where the next pay cheque was coming from, or take the riskier option of following my dream of becoming a fully fledged artist. To my parent’s credit, they said to go for the latter, and I’m so glad I did. I’m one of the fortunate ones, that get’s to do what I love everyday and I have never once regretted the decision I made.

I wanted to look back at some of my very first pieces that helped me along the way, giving me the confidence to plough on and experiment more and more with stainless Steel.

These bugs were some of my first pieces, and then I had a lucky break with Harvey nicks, who wanted them as a window display in London!….. I still think they look great!

collection of scarab beetle sculptures

 

My obsession with bugs didn’t stop there, insects, and creepy crawlies seemed such an interesting subject that I just kept on going.

Insect sculpture of an Ant

 

Green hornet sculpture

 

Small stainless steel Wasp sculpture

 

Finally I got my lucky break with my first large commission of a Mermaid. She was an absolute delight to make, and I’m still proud of the piece, although I obviously still look at old sculptures and think today I’d just tweak this and that a little, that’s the perfectionist in me in afraid.

 

Michael Turner  with Mermaid

 

Mermaid

 

I’m not sure where she lives now, it would be nice to know!

So, fast forward 20 years, not necessarily older and wiser but definitely a little greyer around the hair line. I’m still enjoying my job, and still wanting to push myself down avenues I never even dared to dream about at the beginning of my career. I think that’s the key, stepping out of my comfort zone has been really good for me, and it let me dream bigger and bigger. However more recently I’ve discovered that keeping to my roots is still just as important, and my most recent ‘interiors collection’ has taught me that. As much as it’s nice to go for the big stuff, the smaller stuff still matters just as much, and keeps me in touch with the reality of it all.

If you have any of my original pieces, it would be great to see them. Post a picture on my Facebook page (like my page if you haven’t already…) and tell me when and where you got them. Thanks.