Sean Crawford is a successful New Zealand sculptor. Originally Wellington based but now living in the rural Wairarapa, his works are found - and sought after - nationally and abroad. Although he initially trained as a plumber, overseas travel rekindled his passion for art and design. On his return to New Zealand, he graduated with an honors degree in Design in 2003, and has been a full-time sculptor ever since.

Crawford's inspirations are as varied as they are evolving. Techniques he learned from his boat-building father interweave with creativity that frequently highlights environmental and social messages. History plays a role, with some of Sean’s works questioning the contradictions of New Zealand's colonial past, whilst also being influenced by the Gothic storyteller Edgar Allen Poe and the paintings of Bill Hammond.

Passionate for art to be as accessible as possible to all, Sean’s work is now being seen in even more public spaces, both in New Zealand and abroad. Outside the New Zealand embassy in Washington, D.C. sits one of these commissioned pieces. This work is titled ‘The Cloak of Remembrance’ and is an embracing cloak made of laser cut, powder coated red poppies.

Recent public works include ‘The Head of John Doe’ which was installed in Palmerston North and is sited near the entrance to the Te Manawa Arts Centre. In Masterton, Wairarapa, the public are also able to view ‘Distant Chant’. These large sculptures (of a male and female Huia bird emerging from corten steel panels), are a nod to the last known recording of their call - which was captured in the local Tararua ranges. Another highlight of Crawford's career to date is 'Waiting for Hammond', a two-meter-tall Huia bird sculpture set on a headland overlooking the Irish Sea.

It's a sign that his ideas, although largely homegrown, are respected and relevant on the world stage.