John Davey

Right from childhood, I have felt the need to create, inspired to make something that has never existed before. Wood and stone speak to me on a subconscious level. I like the resistance and feel of these materials. The way in which distinctive characteristics are revealed as the skin, surface, is carved away. Discovering inherent strengths and weaknesses. Through a dialogue between maker and material, natural forces help to create a harmonious balance that respects the character of each. I take inspiration from many places- natural and man-made forms. Connections with the language of the ancients ( through their mazes, standing stones, geometric designs and spirals), mathematical sequences, an emotion, a feeling. Sometimes the forms that particularly inspire me have no memory souvenir, it’s only later I discover their relevance. Working from these inspirations, I make sketches and choose the appropriate stone or wood. It’s in the making that the form develops and evolves, each stage incorporating many changes. Because of this, the finished work is often very different from the original idea. It’s this change that excites me and motivates me to create, to see which path the making will take me on. How different materials respond to different tooling, and how they split, and break. Their grains show movements or revealing inner textures. Sculptor John Davey.