Apr 2009

These are the initial drawings. They are superimposed on a piece of stone that I had seen at the quarry (St Andhelm’s in Dorset) and which I had hoped to use. They are only rough drawings because I usually try to adapt to the shapes and irregularities I find in the stone once I start carving, plus allow opportunities for the sculpture to evolve. I wanted to make the most of the south facing aspect of the site, and these designs built on the smaller pieces that I had been carving using curves in abstract forms (influenced by chalk landscapes such as the South Downs). My objective was to produce a sculpture that would be uplifting but also ambiguous. The dimensions of the central curve or spine are based on the golden ratio, in the hope that this would be pleasing to the eye. (Once the first curve has been drawn, the size of next curve is the size of the previous curve divided by 1.61, as in the fibonnaci series, and so on.)