I am a sculptor of French origin, now based in Oxfordshire in the UK. I started sculpting when I was still young by working with wood; however, my artistic development has been gradual because of the difficulty in finding a good teacher, suitable tools and raw materials. At the age of 25, during a training session at a stonecutter’s studio I learnt how to work with limestone (Caen Stone). During the following years my work as a site engineer meant living between England, Ireland and Italy. Whilst on holiday in France at a second training session with the stonecutter, I learnt patience and tenacity. I took advantage of this relatively quiet period to study the history of art, and, above all through books, museum visits and personal contact with sculptors. I was particularly influenced by a well known Italian sculptor, Vasco Montecchi who showed me the way to animate and sculpt marble.

Another great master has also enlightened me, the 92 year old sculptor and magician Gigi Guadagnucci. During my two privileged meetings with him he has taught me so much by simply allowing me to talk to him and admire his work. He is a great inspiration to me since his sculptures show infinite refinement and elegance.

The theme central to my research is movement. The ability to animate stone, marble and wood is almost an obsession for me. I love to create movement which is projecting forward, forcing the material to show that a transition between two states is taking place. Movement is not simply movement: it is at the same time velocity. Incorporating velocity into a piece is very exciting since a line can make the sculpture move very fast or alternatively a different line will convey only a slow motion. This is the foundation of my research, many sculptures only convey passive state, immobility. I want the velocities of my work to change, this way the perception of the work in space is different, exciting and interesting. If the state of the piece is fixed there is no extension of the material into space, it simple stops where the sculpture ends. If, on the contrary there is movement the dimension of the piece is projected into space and creates the impression that it continues along its course.

Although stone is a dense and heavy material to work with I want it to appear light so that we can see it flying, emerging from the world of matter to that of refinement and elegance. This is quite difficult because of the constraint the material imposes on the sculptor, this can only be overcome by patience and being able to accept failure if the marble breaks when it becomes too thin. With experience and knowledge it will become possible to achieve my aim however I still have a lot to learn before I can hope to emulate my masters.