Creating a sculpture

Depending on the size and complexity of the piece and the nature of the stone, a sculpture will take me anywhere from three weeks to three months to complete.

It’s hard to say exactly where the idea for a new sculpture truly begins. Often I will see a piece of stone and read a shape in it: something that already exists within it and simply needs some help to emerge. Other times it will be an image or composition that presents itself to me - hanging in the ether, waiting for the right moment or the right rock to settle in.

I source stone from specialist sculpting stone suppliers and quarries. I predominantly select stone from the UK to minimize the carbon impact of transporting it. Favourite choices include Scottish Serpentine and pink Triassic sandstone from Staffordshire. With the land-owners’ permission I also gather found stone from abandoned quarries.

Once the idea has settled and the stone has been selected I wash it, touch it and look at it from all angles, helping me to read the pigments, strata and natural forms in the rock.

Next I remove any unstable or damaged rock using a point chisel and mallet, before beginning to rough out the broad form, again using a point chisel and punch.

With a scutch or claw chisel I begin to create a more regular surface, evening out rough bumps and protrusions.

As the form takes shape I add detail with flat chisels (now using a lighter mallet), before moving to diamond-tipped rifflers and rasp to achieve fine details.

Finally, I use carbide blocks and varying grades of wet-and-dry sandpaper to polish the surface.

As I work, I document each stage in photographs, capturing the story of the stone as it transitions from raw stone to finished sculpture.

Finally comes the mounting stage. The right mount has the power to elevate a sculpture, positioning it just so and drawing the eye to its defining features. My mounts are hand-crafted and are typically made of slate, marble and occasionally found stone.