sign in sign up
<<
Home , Portland stone

coast ACTIVE

tRY IT nOW Stone sculpting The ’s famous is ideal for carving and you can receive expert tuition at an open-air studio overlooking the sea

n my first visit to the Isle of her creations, including a puffin with with fossil imprints. On Portland, she Portland I veered off the its head resting under its wing. For says, it is the wind and water that coastal path and found the past ten years, since finishing inspire her. ‘Doing sculpture here myself above an eerie stone her three-year sculpture course at is so enjoyable because we do it Oquarry. Later, I learned that the pale the Steiner-influenced Emerson within the landscape. It’s elemental, grey limestone is much sought after College in East Sussex, Sarah has something we don’t have a lot of in and has been quarried for centuries: led workshops and shown her work our lives.’ Back at the hut, I meet The Spirit of in fact, Britain’s most famous HAVING A GO in exhibitions (including the biennial Wendy Manning, a retired social Jini Reddy had landmarks, including Buckingham two half-day Art Weeks Open Studios worker from Dorchester, who is Palace, are made from it. sessions with event in which over 800 artists open working on a stone dragon. She Portland overlooks It’s also the raw material for stone Sarah Gilpin at their doors to the public). She also took up stone sculpture a year ago: sculpture, and I’ve been promised The Sculpture works to commission in stone and ‘I started when a friend asked me Hut on the Isle you don’t have to be Michelangelo of Portland in wood and sells greeting cards and to join her on her course. I loved to give it a go. Unlike commercial Dorset calendars, based on photos she has it from the first session,’ she says. stone carving, which involves the taken on Portland that, as she puts ‘Although it’s physically tiring, it’s carving of ornate figures, foliage and it, ‘explore the textures and colour relaxing and a stress buster. I retired animals by stonemasons, no special in nature. The point of my informal almost two years ago after 30 years skills are required for sculpture. courses is to engage and explore. in social work and before that, So, encouraged, I signed up for a Beginners, children and adults alike teaching, so I can see the value of short course on Portland with local can enjoy stone sculpture – it’s stone sculpting as a de-stressor for sculptor Sarah Gilpin. I love the idea not about whether it’s “good”, it’s busy and burnt-out professionals.’ of getting creative in the fresh sea about the experience,’ she says Wendy now often comes back to air, even though I wonder whether I’ll reassuringly, as I begin the first of Portland to work on her pieces. be able to make a dent in the stone, two half-day sessions. let alone create a piece of art… 4pm TOOLS FOR THE JOB 3pm Walk to the sea Time to choose some tools. There DAY ONE Sarah’s courses are one-to-one (she are mallets, files and chisels of 2pm Meeting the artist will also run a session for a family or varying sizes. Some have pointed Portland is part of the two friends) so she takes me down ends, others flat ends, and some Coast. As well as the limestone to the shore to show me some resemble tiny claws. ‘With tools laid down around 130 million years BELOW Sarah natural sculptures – rocks that have one has to consider the relationship ago, it’s known for its rugged cliffs, shows how to been eroded by the sea and surf. between the weight and size of the turns a piece coastal views and trails, ancient of stone into a She points out the different shapes tool and the amount of stone you soils, rock formations and fossils, thing of beauty and textures and we inspect those want to remove,’ explains Sarah. and the narrow, pebbly Chesil ‘But there are no rules.’ It’s important Beach, which links it – just – to the to protect your eyes so I choose mainland (making it technically a sunglasses, and bright pink gloves peninsula rather than an island). (though these are optional!). After leaving the train at Weymouth it’s a ten-minute taxi ride to my hotel, 4.30pm Having a go the Heights, on the west coast of Outside, Sarah leads me to a big Portland, where I walk for an hour ‘practice’ stone: I feel daunted just under sunny skies along the cliff path looking at it. ‘Ah, but people don’t south to the Sculpture Hut, a stone’s realise just how fragile this kind of throw from the island’s stone is,’ she says. To demonstrate, Lighthouse. Sarah greets me warmly Sarah picks up a pointed chisel and outside her hut, which is filled with mallet. ‘If the point of the chisel is

94 coast coastmagazine.co.uk coastmagazine.co.uk 95 coast coast ACTIVE

10.30am Working hard On impulse though, I change watch tHE pROS my mind: I want my waves to be swirls. I pick up my mallet and chip away with a wide, flat-ended chisel because I want to create wide spirals. I work this pattern into the stone by hitting the chisel 1 with the mallet at a gentle angle away from my body and by walking slowly around the stone in a circular 3 4 2 motion. The rain begins to fall, but I barely notice: I’m hooked. Polish-born Joanna According to Sarah, there are no too upright it will go straight into ABOVE Some Szuwalska, 41, is a sculptor technical terms to describe what I the stone, which you only want if of the tools and teacher who has lived am doing: ‘Everything is in relation to you are trying to break it. If it is too needed to work on Portland for 16 years. She your impulse and the qualities of the the stone horizontal, it’ll slide across it,’ she created the Spirit of Portland stone. The experience is unique for explains, chipping away gently. Now stone statue that sits above each individual – this is the source it is my turn. She shows me how to Chesil Beach, previous page, of authentic art and sculpture. Put hold the tools. I start tentatively, but and is currently working on the a label on it and you stop creating.’ I’m amazed by how easily the stone MEMO project (Mass Extinction yields, and how satisfying it is to Monitoring Observatory), a 12pm Dusty and happy work it. Next, Sarah shows me how monument featuring the carved I stop and survey my efforts: I am STONE SCULPTING KIT to hold the chisel at an angle and images of all the plants and amazed at what I – the least artistic move my body around it to make animals known to have become person I know – have produced, a spiral. ‘Any beginner can create extinct in modern times. ‘I with very little tuition. It is too heavy Fancy shaping your own stone sculpture? Then you’ll need to pick textures and patterns,’ she says. have been working with stone for me to carry back on the train, up these essential items firstc ompiled by Clare Russell I end the day full of anticipation: for 20 years. The Spirit of but Sarah has promised to keep it tomorrow I will choose my own Portland is a figurative portrayal safe for me, in her garden, and says stone and make my own sculpture. of traditional life and culture: I can return and admire it any time I 5 it depicts a stonemason on like – or have another a go. I might DAY TWO one side and a fisherman on just take her up on that. 9am The stone garden the other, and is essentially A half day session with Sarah Gilpin I arrive at the hut after a windswept stone and sea. In other pieces at The Sculpture Hut costs £39 per 8 walk. Sarah leads me to her stone I have tried to express wind person or £80 per family or group of 7 ‘garden’. She buys her stones from in the movement of hair. four for a one-off half-day session, two island-based companies, Albion Living on Portland is inspiring: with a reduction for follow-on Stone and Portland Stone Firms. ‘I the views are sensational sessions. All materials and tools, use and recycle their waste stones, and the place is a natural as well as goggles and gloves are which is the cheapest way to get it. phenomenon.’ For more info provided. She also offers Creative coast They are much better for sculptors visit joannaszuwalska.co.uk. Wanderings (0776 997 0447, fav e as the shapes are usually irregular portlandsculpturehut.co.uk). and marked: it’s less like facing a scary blank sheet of paper.’

9.30am Choosing a stone need to know mallets from £25; goggles Where to stay 9 It takes me a while to decide, but How to get started Find from £2; from Tiranti (tiranti. Heights Hotel (01305 6 I spot a narrow one with jagged out about courses at the co.uk). Stones from £40 821361, heightshotel.com). edges that I like – it’s roughly the Stone Federation’s website per cubic metre at Albion has the best views, plus a shape of an enormous boomerang (stone-federationgb.org.uk). Stone (albionstone.com) bistro, gym, beauty salon, and it weighs about ten pounds. For details of The Sculpture and Portland Stone Firms and outdoor swimming Heavy! I lug it back to the worktable Hut, see above. The (stonefirms.com). pool. Standard double outside. We view it from all Portland Sculpture and Getting there South B&B, from £80. The

positions: sideways, vertically and Trust (learningstone. West Trains from Portland Bird Observatory SEE STOCKISTS PAGE FOR WHERE TO BUY, tilted at an angle. I decide I’m going org) also has courses. Waterloo to Weymouth take and Field Centre (portland

to create a wave sculpture. Sarah What it costs You will around three hours. A taxi birdobs.org.uk) is five alamy nods: she believes that what we need basic tools, protective from the station to Portland minutes from The Sculpture see around us on the island inspires eyeware and stone. Chisels Bill, near The Sculpture Hut, and offers basic 1 Work apron, £12.99, B&Q 2 Women’s 6 inch Premium Waterproof boots, £145, Timberland 3 Country Living Canvas tool bag, £28, John Lewis and influences our sculpture. from £10; files from £2; Hut, is about £11. accommodation from £20. 4 4lb Masons Club hammer, £10.62, G Gibson & Co 5 Masons nylon mallet, £39.20, The Stone Yard 6 Standard Canadian Rigger gloves, £1.35,

P HOTO G RA H s Just Gloves 7 Deck stripe apron, £20, Cath Kidston 8 Fishtail wooden-handled chisel, £23.63, G Gibson & Co 9 Draper safety goggles, £2.95, Tooled Up

96 coast coastmagazine.co.uk coastmagazine.co.uk 97 coast