AN Award-winning sculptor who has made works for the likes of Dame Judi Dench and George Michael received the prestigious Queen’s Award.

David Harber, who lives in Blewbury, was presented with the honour for International Trade by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire on Monday.

For 25 years the 59-year-old has sculpted elegant and simple designs that incorporate nature, reflection, light and water to create focal points indoors and outside.

He said: "It is great to be given this award.

"It really is lovely because it is a sign of recognition for everyone who works at my studio, so we can all enjoy this award."

Mr Harber has already won five of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Sundries trophies.

But before he began commissioning works that have been unveiled by the Queen, Prince Charles and the Queen Mother, Mr Harber started off as an apprentice thatcher.

He also tried his hand as a potter and a mountaineer before converting a boat into a floating theatre, which toured Europe for eight years.

He said: "My first sculpture that I created was an armillary sphere.

"It was inspired when I met with an antiques dealer friend who had recently purchased a time piece.

"I was captivated by the ancient mathematical and scientific principals and I spent my last £20 on materials to design my own.

"Twenty-three years on and I am still in love with the purity of the armillary sphere; it symbolises the perfect marriage between art and science and is imbued with oracle status."

The piece was bought by actor Jeremy Irons and signified the beginning of Mr Harber’s career in design.

Soon after, Mr Harber began experimenting with water features and started his own company based in Oxfordshire.

He said: "I now have 28 people that work for me.

"I started the company off in a converted pig sty, then moved to a converted dairy and now we operate out of a converted barn.

"It has come such a long way and this award is such a wonderful way for us to enjoy what we have achieved because it recognises the company’s growth in export over the last three years."

Mr Harber’s commissions extend far beyond the UK and he has made bespoke pieces for private, corporate and public body clients as far afield as Qatar, Singapore and the US.

He added: "I like working on commissions for individuals because it really does become a creative process between the both of us.

"And I like that they have had input into the piece I am designing for them."