Finding myself settled in this beautiful corner of the country I am pleased to have an exhibition at Castell Henllys Iron age fort, Pembrokeshire.

I present a selection of my recent work in various stones; some from the UK, Michelangelo marble from Italy and the reputedly magical Bluestone, a Dolorite found in the local hills.

Originally from Yorkshire my beginnings were in Stonemasonry. I learned how to quarry stone from the ground, split it up into workable sizes and then shape it or carve it into something beautiful.

A lifelong fascination with the beauty and brilliance of natures design inspires me to create permanent artworks in a timeless natural medium.

A piece of work can take weeks, months or even years. I think about the concept for a long time, when I can see every last detail in my mind I am ready to realise it in the stone. I do not develop it with sketches, drawings or models- instead I work directly into the material. Sometimes a rock is chosen to fit the sculpture; sometimes the stone suggests an idea. The quirks and fissures from nature there inside it, manipulate the finished piece.

There is something very satisfying and challenging about finding a rock in the earth and making it into something. It is very heavy, before it can be moved I proceed to split it, using wedges, pins and a sledgehammer. This is often done in situ, up a mountain or in a quarry.

Then shaping begins; it is smashed, pulverised, ground and filed using a variety of steel, tungsten and diamond tools, sweat and time.

I am intrigued by different cultures around the globe and the sculptures that they produce. The very old ancient, naive carvings interest me most and in this exhibition I have paid homage to the pre Roman carvings of Lunigiana, Italy; standing stones and Celtic figures.

Our ancestors discovered that there is only one-way to carve stone, striking it with a harder object or tool to remove material. Modern tools help the process, but essentially the method is the same now as it was thousands of years ago.

A few years ago I lived in Carrara, northern Tuscany. Although I worked exclusively in Michelangelo marble I took a piece of Pembrokeshire out there with me in the form of Preseli Bluestone.

As I developed my own technique I discovered a way to carve and polish this mythical and recalcitrant stone. In this exhibition you can see the finished product-the polished bluestone reveals all the crystals and minerals within, like a starry night.

This exhibition is kind of a visual record of my career, starting off working in sandstone, branching out to grit-stones and limestone. Leading me to Italy to carve the ultimate, white marble. Now coming back to Pembrokeshire and finding the soul, spirit and earthy beauty in rocks blue.

Darren Yeadon, Sculptor
June 2011

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