text: An artist who turns dead animals into unique works of art has recently come under fire for his bizzare sculptures. Sean Crawford, from Carterton, New Zealand, said he picked up his distinctive style after his family taught him about hunting and taxidermy on the farm he grew up on. ‘Taxidermy was a big part of my culture,’ he told Daily Mail Australia. ‘As a kid you would watch the eyes following you around the room and I think that became a bit of a fascination for me, you know, capturing the animal in a precise moment, almost frozen in time.’ Scroll down for video . Former plumber Sean Crawford made a splash at the Australian Traffic Jam Gallery with his taxidermy sculptures . After producing works without taxidermy, he decided he wanted to add a more 'natural' layer to his work . He said he can understand why some people find his work 'a bit ungodly’, but in his opinion, there is nothing worse than ‘art that doesn't affect you at all.’ While some religious folk have taken issue with the fact Mr Crawford is 'manipulating the animal' by using animal parts in his work, he maintains that he’s only used parts that would have otherwise gone to waste. ‘We don’t really select the animals. They are a product of hunting for meat or pest control.’ He said he can understand why some people find his work 'a bit ungodly’, but in his opinion, there is nothing worse than ‘art that doesn't affect you at all.’ ‘It’s one of those things that people either like or they don’t,’ he said. Mr Crawford said he’s been influenced by Gothic Revival architecture and literature that dealt with themes of being dismantled and put back together . Taxidermy: ‘It’s one of those things that people either like or they don’t’ Mr Crawford has three animal sculptures currently on display at Traffic Jam Galleries at Neutral Bay on Sydney's lower north shore. Sean Crawford said his interest in taxidermy started at a very young age as he watched his family hunt on their farm . He chose a running rabbit, a standing rabbit and a small bird enclosed in a metal cage for the Australian exhibition called 'untitled'. The bird is intact while the rabbit sculptures only feature half the animal with Mr Crawford expertly manipulating steel beams to make the sculpture whole. He said he spends a lot of time studying the anatomy and posture of each animal to make sure his 'twist' on classical sculpting is as authentic as possible. ‘I am building the surface, not out of stone, but through an accurate mapping of the rest of the animal,’ he said. Mr Crawford said he’s been influenced by Gothic Revival architecture and literature, like Frankenstein or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, that dealt with themes of being dismantled and put back together. He said using animals has let him add another ‘natural’ layer to his steel structures. Mr Crawford travelled to Sydney from his New Zealand home to personally deliver three of his controversial sculptures, where he said he got ‘quite a reaction’ on opening night. Mr Crawford said he spends a lot of time studying the anatomy and posture of each animal to make sure his 'twist' on classical sculpting is as authentic as possible . ‘I am building the surface, not out of stone, but through an accurate mapping of the rest of the animal’ Sotiris Sotiriou, a curator at Traffic Jam Galleries, said his clients have had a great response to the unique ‘amalgam of sculpture and taxidermy’. ‘To be honest all of our clients have quite enjoyed it, people can be grossed out a bit but I think they are more interested in the end.’ He said once museum visitors learned that the animals weren't killed for art, they were much more accepting of the animal and steel hybrids. In his most recent work, Mr Crawford was commissioned to build the Cloak of Remembrance for Anzac Day, which will be unveiled on April 25 at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington. Mr Crawford has been commissioned to build the Cloak of Remembrance for Anzac Day, which will be unveiled on April 25 at the New Zealand Embassy in Washington. Mr Crawford uses animals that have been killed during hunting for meat or pest control . ‘To be honest all of our clients have quite enjoyed it, people can be grossed out a bit but I think they are more interested in the end.’
target: Sean Crawford has been criticised for using dead animals in his sculptures .
  His interest in taxidermy started through hunting on his farm as a child .
  All the animals used were killed in New Zealand as a part of pest control .
  His work is currently on display at Traffic Jam Galleries in Neutral Bay .
  Museum curators said his work is being received well in Australia .