What was the impetus and inspiration for this new exhibition?

Actually it doesn’t really work like this at all for me. However I know there is a common conception that the artist sits up one day and says, “Wow, that’s it, that’s what I must do!” For me the beginning is very small and lost. I scratch about and dig in the marble. I make some things and they start to represent a whole. As the series grows I grow with it - developing confidence and assurance. The stronger ideas are more evident at the end: they want to be made.

Describe the process you go through when creating a sculpture.

Firstly I must find the right block. It needs to be the right size to fit the idea. Some marble is very veined which often indicates a weakness; so a highly veined marble might be unsuitable for a sculpture with little stone holding it together. 

Once the marble is positioned on the work table I draw or paint the idea on the stone. I then cut out the profile from one direction. After each cut I reapply paint to remind myself what the forms are doing. With a complex form I will make a wax model to help me envisage the sculpture inside the block. As the sculpture progresses the form becomes more visible. I keep cutting away until I have the form that I want. I will often mount the sculpture on its base in order to make the final creative decisions. Finally the sculpture is sanded until the surface is as smooth as is desired. 

What do you like most about working with marble?

I think it is hard to move on from marble. It is the perfect material for carving, having little grain. Also, being pure calcium carbonate, marble has no silicates so there are fewer health worries than with most stones. 

My work is very concerned with form so I like a material that is not too decorative. Some onyxs, for instance, are very glamorous and need a rather different approach. My sculpture has evolved through working with marble, so any change in material would require a change in my work.

What has been the most challenging part of the project?

Although a project like this is full of challenges, nothing can compare with the challenge of trying to make something wonderful. Searching and striving to find a great idea is the Holy Grail. I find the ideas swim around my head constantly. Sometimes the half-awake moment of dawn brings crepuscular clarity. The world between dreams and wakefulness has been talked of by many as a good time for creativity. I agree with them. 

How does the work created for this exhibition relate to, or build, on your previous work?

My last exhibition was very concerned with stacked forms: finding different ways to bring a sculpture to a vertical position. This idea I have largely left behind me. Many of the vertical carvings had a good deal of air in their volumes. This idea is one I have pursued further. Several of the sculptures in this exhibition have most of the volume of the marble reduced, hence the title of the exhibition ‘The Space Between’.