Slate | Creation
Creation is one of the most enduring forms within my work. Taking the shape of an egg, the sculpture is built by carefully shaping and stacking hundreds of individual pieces of slate, each one worked by hand to arrive at a precise and resolved form. The process is slow and deliberate, allowing the natural character of the stone to remain present within an otherwise exact geometry.
The symbolism of the egg is widely understood; birth, potential, continuity and emergence. It's a form that feels instinctively familiar. For me, that familiarity is important. I am drawn to shapes that carry meaning without explanation, forms that resonate quietly rather than declare themselves. In slate, the egg becomes both solid and contemplative, its weight and stillness balanced by what it suggests rather than what it shows.
Creation has been realised in a range of slate types and settings. One example, constructed in Penrhyn Heather slate, sits at the centre of a carefully tended lawn. Another made from reclaimed slate rests at Auchindoune House in the Scottish Highlands near Cawdor Castle, nestled among moss-covered rocks on the banks of a tributary of the River Findhorn. There, surrounded by water, lichen, and woodland, the sculpture feels entirely at home.
Other versions have been placed in London gardens using Lakeland Blue slate, each responding subtly to its material and environment.
Each piece of slate is shaped and stacked individually, and when working with blue slate I will often split the stone myself to achieve variations in thickness and tone. These nuances give the surface depth and texture, allowing light to settle differently across the form.
Working with slate in this way is a cathartic process for me. It is physical, repetitive and absorbing, demanding focus and patience. At the end of the day, the material leaves its mark; a reminder of time spent shaping something slowly, deliberately and by hand. That sense of effort and presence is, I hope, carried into the finished work.
Creation now exists in private collections across the UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia and the United States.
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