Stone has its own idiom. The carver is limited by the size, shape and quality of the stone, and any idea or design will be affected by its demands. I find this adds a dimension to my work. Every piece is an uncharted adventure!
As an artist I am constantly aware of ambiguity and relativity in every aspect of existence. I like to allow this awareness to develop its own narrative as I work.
Stone is entirely appropriate in any garden or landscape where so many other materials look contrived. It is cool and elegant in the home.
I have been a fine jeweler, a street portrait artist, a painter (figurative, oils) and a printmaker. I have done life drawing from time to time all my life. I am now a member of the Shapeshifters Sculpture group in Birmingham.
I have exhibited in Birmingham at the Botanical Gardens, University Staff House, Lichfield Cathedral, Midlands Arts Centre, the Custard Factory, Winterbourne Gardens and the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, also at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in London.
Currently exhibiting at The Purple Gallery.
Stone
Stone is a noble material. It cannot be corrupted. It retains its beauty even as it deteriorates, and the forms carved into it will remain for hundreds of years. The carver often crosses the path of tiny fossils, testament to the ancient seas where the limestone beds were laid down, as much as 300 million years ago!
The Shapeshifters have a supply of stone from various sources: Hopton Wood from Derbyshire - creamy white with scattered fossils which takes a high polish - it has been described as British marble; Ancaster limestone, quarried in Lincolnshire, ranges from peachy pink to grey/blue, and Portland limestone - largely from demolition sites. Cotswold limestone is given me by my sister from her garden in the Cotswolds!
Read more about: Hopton Wood limestone Ancaster limestone Cotswold limestone