Matt Duke (b.1978) learnt much of his practice at a foundry which allowed him to establish his skills working in bronze and develop an innate understanding of the material. Over the twenty years of his practice he has evolved an adroit command of the difficult expertise of patination and, learning through experiment, has allowed for a highly-skilled implementation which enhances and adds life to his sculptures. Sometimes the patination is bold and vibrant and other times Duke implements a more subtle patina; the smooth finish of his sculptures allows for the success of such patination which would not work on bronzes crowded with texture. The hues and tones resonate with the material and enhance and become part of the distinctive beauty of the sculptures. The bases of Duke’s sculptures, also in bronze, provide a balanced companion to emphasise the narrative of the piece and often complement or mirror the piece itself, thereby becoming part of the sculpture.