The Kelpies: Andy Scott on life in LA and his horses heads as they turn 10

The sculptor is a long way from the workshop in Maryhill where the Kelpies were born.

Andy Scott is back home in Los Angeles after a trip to Scotland ahead of the 10th anniversary of the unveiling of his largest work, the monumental Kelpies.

Just turned 60, the sculptor, moved to Los Angels with his wife, Hanneke, two years ago and says the weather in his adopted home is “good for the old bones” as he forges on with his career and projects around the world.

The couple shifted stateside five years ago to gain some “space” following the huge sensation surrounding the 100-ft horse heads, a project which took 10 years to realise from a simple pencil sketch.

Artist and sculptor of The Kelpies Andy Scott pictured with the Clydedale Horses at The Kelpies. PIC: Perthshire Picture Agency/Graeme Hart

After five years in Philadelphia, Scott and his architect wife have settled in Los Angeles with the climate suiting the sculptor who believes the warm weather will allow him to keep working longer on the tools.

Scott said: “It’s the whole lifestyle thing here – people go on about the weather, but it really is very different.

"Joking aside I do feel that it has prolonged my ability to keep working with the tools because the weather is that bit warmer and kinder on my old bones.

The Kelpies have generated some £85m for the local Falkirk economy over the past decade. PIC: (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

“I have had a few wee injuries on the way and it gets longer to get through them but I am still on it still hammering way on the tools.

“I have had shoulder problems, I have knee problems, I am like a punch drunk heavyweight who doesn’t know when to give up.

“You just roll with it, you don’t have a choice. This climate does feel better on your body when you are working with materials and tools. Hopefully it will keep me trundling along.”

The Kelpies sculptures are officially opened by Princess Anne, Princess Royal and a flotilla of boats on July 8, 2015 in Falkirk, Scotland. Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Incredibly, he added, his studio is just 10 minutes drive from his home.

“In LA, that is unbelievable and a remarkable feat,” he added.

Scott has produced around 150 works in total. His breakthrough piece, the steel Heavy Horse positioned near junction 9 of the M8 at Easterhouse, is seen by an estimated 100,000 motorway users every day and set the tone of the sculptor’s public art which gives a sense of renewal to landscape while bringing together people and place in an accessible way.

One of his most recent works in the UK was unveiled by Manchester City Football Club in 2022 with his statue of striker Sergio Aguero celebrating the 10th anniversary of the club’s first Premier League title. The statue was made in Philadelphia and shipped to Manchester.

Today, he is working on a piece for a new public space in St Paul, Minnesota, where a Loon bird – an emblem of the state – will take flight next to the AllianzField soccer stadium. It will measure nearly 33 feet high and 88 feet wide.

This week, he will be on a Zoom call talking about a possible construction project in Abu Dhabi. Discussions are also underway about a possible exhibition of some small bronzes.

He said: “I think it is becoming increasingly novel that a sculptor actually makes things and I am determined to stick with that and not be seduced into project management or sitting with my wee laptop here designing things on my computer. For me, it is about handskill and dexterity and I want to keep that going as long as I can."

Scott described The Kelpies as a “fantastic calling card” but added that other, smaller projects completed as the huge infrastructure took slowly took shape around the horse heads, commissioned by Scottish Canals, had been fundamental to his career.

He said: “Although they have been an fantastic calling card they didn’t exactly open the floodgates to dozens of inquiries for colossal hundred foot sculptures.

"A project like that is such a unique proposition it needs almost a perfect coming together of time location budget, wherewithal, a can do attitude, there are very few of them in the world.

“It wasn’t plain sailing, I’ll be honest, it was a tough gig and there were a number of times it nearly faltered and there are other times where I took a bit of a hissy fit and nearly chucked it in. There were all sorts of dramas on the way but all of us stuck with it, the client group, myself, the fabrication guys, we did it in the end.

“I feel a wee bit vindicated, to be honest. Nearly 20 years ago I wrote that if we did it right these things have the potential to become an icon for the area and the country

"And I think we did it right.”

The 10th anniversary of The Kelpies will be marked on Saturday, April 27 with a day of free family activities, including a Clydesdale horse show and ceilidh, and then a ticketed night of music with Red Hot Chilli Pipers, Callum Beattie and the Rebecca Vasmant Ensemble The Bothy Society record label will provide a warm up DJ set at 6pm.

Scottish Canals’ Chief Executive Officer John Paterson said: “Scottish Canals had a vision to create a piece of art at the eastern gateway to Scotland’s historic Forth & Clyde Canal.

“The Kelpies pay homage to the working horses of Scotland which used to pull barges along Scotland’s canals and worked in fields in the area where they now stand. Now almost a decade on and these magnificent works of art are global waterways icons attracting thousands of visitors to Scotland each year.

“We look forward to celebrating 10 years of The Kelpies, a true celebration of collaborative working. Our magnificent Kelpies will be the big attraction on Saturday, 27 April, with events going on throughout the day for all ages to enjoy. Please join us in celebrating our remarkable structures as we look forward to the next 10 years as we continue to make better lives by water.”