Life Drawings

Sculptors draw to understand what is there, not to make a picture but to explore the shapes. Sometimes a rapid sketch tells one more about the spirit of the subject.

Pastels are an extension of drawing. When I draw upon the stone, I start with a light colour and as I become more certain the lines become darker, this sometimes happens when I draw and paint upon paper.

I study often and fill up my reservoir with images. After a few weeks of studying rock art I made a series of drawing of people and horses which drew upon this knowledge intuitively.

I paint rarely, usually to refresh or to shift a block. Because I am a sculptor the lines and forms are more important to me than, say, a colour.

I came to this as, whenever I feel stuck, I like to change my media. I picked Pyrography because of the quality of the lines. It is no good being tentative, you have mean every single line and mark with your whole self. I painted the backgrounds to give them more atmosphere. The subject matter of shaman and animals came from vivid dreams.