( CNN ) -- You 've probably heard of Glorious Goodwood -- well , this is more like glorious driftwood . Galloping along beaches or drinking quietly from a pool , these majestic horses are n't what they first seem . That 's because , not that long ago , they were just piles of what seemed like scrap wood -- until , that is , artist James Doran-Webb began working his magic . Born in Birmingham , the 46-year-old has lived in the Philippines since traveling there for what was supposed to have been an extended holiday in 1989 . `` I was entranced by the countryside , the beaches , the wildlife and the people , with their flair for color and artistry , '' he explained . He 's long been using driftwood collected from the seas , beaches and rivers near his Cebu City home to create his breathtaking wildlife art , and Doran-Webb 's work is a continuation of a childhood fascination with crafting wooden models and miniature sculptures . Much time in his formative years was spent in the workshops of his parent 's antiques restoration firm , giving him a thorough informal education in the arts of craftsmanship . That accumulated knowledge of flair and polish is on display in his three thoroughbreds , all equine power and elegance and his biggest public art project to date . Inspired by the fact that this is the Chinese Year of the Horse , they were commissioned for New Year celebrations at the Gardens by the Bay nature park in Singapore , where they were even `` ridden '' by model jousters for a while . The logistics of creating each horse were daunting . A metal frame provides the equivalent of the animal 's skeleton , with hundreds of pieces of driftwood going into each sculpture . The larger pieces are then bolted together and the bolts welded to the frame , with each smaller piece then painstakingly screwed into place . `` This wood has been dead for more than 50 years , '' Doran-Webb told CNN . `` It has weathered over those decades , and that 's what makes it look so fantastic . `` I was always an outdoor type of person , and would come across these wonderful pieces of wood while out kayaking -- I have been collecting driftwood since I was 18 , and have enough stockpiled to be able to find , in the end , all the right pieces . `` I 'll go on a hunt for a piece for a nostril or eyebrow , but I 'll come across a potential hoof instead . It 's like a jigsaw puzzle : you keep on looking until you 've found the right piece . `` Also , people know the sort of wood I use now and they 'll bring it to me , '' added Doran-Webb , who pays them , putting money into villages where incomes can often be precarious at best . `` But sometimes I 'll think I 've finished a piece and then find myself starting again with a certain amount of the wood because it does n't look right . I focus hard on the details of faces and muscles . '' His first use of driftwood , though , had nothing to do with animals or sculpture -- he had initially crafted and sold furniture from it until the possibilities of creating large-scale art suddenly struck him . And what ambitious scale it is : each horse sculpture can weigh anything up to a ton ( 1,000 kilograms ) , is 16-17 hands ( around 5ft 11ins ) tall and can easily take the weight of a `` jockey '' or two . Each takes three to four months to create , with Doran-Webb and his team of six craftsmen working together on the process , with each sculpture springing to life from a series of initial sketches and scale models . `` I 'll have an idea -- an image of a horse race or a polo match -- and sketch it until I get something that has motion and movement , '' he said . `` The metal skeleton is crucial . If you stripped away the wood , what you would see would look sort of like the skeleton of the actual animal . It provides all the strength , but cladding it takes a long time . '' It may take a long time , but Doran-Webb says he 's never fully satisfied with the results , and only the world of deadlines prevents him from perpetual tinkering . `` If it was n't for them , I 'd never leave the studio , '' he admitted . `` If something is even an inch out , you have to redo it . There 's never been one I 've been happy with first time . ''
James Doran-Webb uses driftwood to create stunning sculptures . Philippines-based artist builds three thoroughbreds for Singapore celebrations . Hundreds of pieces of wood are applied to metal skeleton to create art . Doran-Webb honed skills in parents ' antiques restoration business .