Colin came and saw me a year ago, he had a specific design in mind – an elegant woman, a sculpture he had seen in his worldly travels, and asked if it was something I might contemplate.

The size was a challenge – standing at 1.6 metres tall….. she was big. That meant a very large block of stone – over a tonne in weight, and not easy to manoeuvre. I felt comfortable achieving the body shape and dimensions but was apprehensive about the head, so decided to tackle that part first.

It was a long time before I felt satisfied with the head and face – the face and hair went through many transformations – and of course as the size of the head changed – the body had to change as well - and I am very grateful to Colin for his patience. It was important that she appeared to be in motion, the sway of her back, the tilt of her head, the angle of her hips and shoulders.

I spent a year with her in total to make sure I did everything just right.

 

 

Brett Keno
New Zealand Stone Carving Artist and Sculptor