I had this small piece of Serpentine stone for many years and have been facinated by its colours. Having lived in Penzance for most of my life, I have a great respect for Cornish stone masons and sculptors. In the past Serpentine has been a traditional material in the use of souvenir carvings, high quality shop fronts (columbs etc) and used by sculptors such as Max Barrett and Barbara Hepworth. Sadly you rarely see it being used these days, so it has been a privelage to finally sculpt this beautiful stone.
I found carving the Serpentine difficult due to the stone fracuring, this is becuase the stone had been exposed to the elements for a prolonged period and consequently become brittle. To get around this proplem of fracturing, I just used chisels to create the main form and then used compressed air grinders to carve the more fragile areas.
Originally the idea of ‘Nurture’ was focused on childbirth, I wanted to express not only the nurturing element of the mothers body sustaining the foetus but also the nuture of a child by the parents and family. Having been present at the births of my children, I witnessed the mother undergo a complete change. It appeared that the body and animal nature took over, enabling the extreme demands that childbirth requires. It seemed to be an instinctual and involuntary process which left me in awe at the strength and resilience of women. It was one of the most powerful experiences in my life. I wanted to express this animal nature aong with the graceful aspects that surround childbirth and nurture.
I am pleased with the final outcome of this piece, especially the more mysterious inner perspective which was left unpolished, revealing a contrasting texture with a different variety of colours. To me it brings forth the image of a swirling galaxy which gives the idea of an infinate, collective nurturing and the cyclic nature of our existence.