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Hidden in a corner of Upper Stoneham Farm, Guy
Stevens and Alyosha Moeran craft stone into new
forms, from pocket-sized spinning tops to giant
public art.
On my way there I pass ‘Brian’ and the chalk cliffs
that overlook town; Lewes is clearly not a natural
habitat for stone sculptors, I think, but what does that
matter? I arrive and am welcomed into an intriguing
space, filled with curio<strong>us</strong> maquettes and heavy things
that look light.
“I started with heads,” says Guy, while I stare at a
slab of stone, that I will soon make my own. “I did
about 100 of those, and insects, they’re a good way
to learn.”
Guy tells me he <strong>us</strong>es an angle grinder and potter’s
wheel to spin sculptures into smooth, cylindrical
shapes, but I had better start with the basics. It’s easy,
I’m told: “All you need is an old builder’s chisel and
a hammer.”
I draw onto the stone and am shown how to cut
outside my pencil line with a flat chisel, keeping a
loose grip and the back of the blade facing me. I have
chosen to carve a relief: an ill<strong>us</strong>trative technique in
which an image is raised out of a flat surface.
The outline cut away, I mark a depth of 5mm along
the sides and ‘waste’ the outer matter <strong>us</strong>ing a wide,
flat ‘bolster’ and an applewood mallet. I’m surprised
that breaking this Bath Stone or ‘biscuit’ is so easy.
“Harder stone would pop, rather than create so much
w w w. V I VA l E w E s . C o M
sToNe carviNg
Chloë King flashes the Crow’s Foot
w E t r y o U t
photos: Chloë king
d<strong>us</strong>t,” says Guy.
Before I start the detail, Alyosha drills ‘eyes’ between
the fingers to protect the acute angles. I’m left to
work away, testing the different marks made by
evocatively named tools, like Crow’s Foot, Claw and
Fishtail. I try angling the cuts to create shadows and
an ill<strong>us</strong>ion of depth.
I soon find myself absorbed, aware of little but the
sound of hitting stone and the effect this has on its
surface; it’s, as Alyosha says, “almost a dreamlike
state.”
Sound is very important, I’m told, beca<strong>us</strong>e a stone
that ‘rings’ has no flaws and is therefore safe to
work with. Alyosha enjoys <strong>us</strong>ing this feature of
the material, to create sculptures with ‘keys’ like a
xylophone.
Guy <strong>us</strong>ed to be a performance artist and at first I
thought this a real departure, but as I circle the piece
I’m working on, I notice some theatricality. It’s less
of a surprise then, as Guy rinses the completed relief
with water and I prepare to leave, that he says, “I’ve
tried every medium, but stone is the one that stuck.”
Guy and Alyosha’s studio is open throughout Artwave.
Visitors on September 11th & 12th are invited to ‘have
a go’ – an hour’s tuition and your own carving to take
home costs £10. After the festival, one-day courses
for groups of 2-6 can be arranged by appointment,
workshops cost £50 per person and you keep what you
carve. To book email guy@guystevenssculpture.com.
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