All images property of Nigel Walker © 2020
Direct carving is for me, a passion. Increasingly I do it because I have too. My studio space is extremely important to me, not only as a place of work and a place for clients to visit but also a haven for me to reflect on my practise. I use traditional direct carving tools whenever possible and enjoy collecting traditional tools that have long been replaced by more modern equipment. This is because my work develops during the carving process and using older technology allows me the extra time to see and feel how the work is growing. Using power tools would restrict these opportunities.
The texture and patina of formal sculpture used for worship or veneration holds a particular fascination for me, specifically the heads, hands or feet that have been touched by millions over the centuries. Works abandoned in the past and rediscovered or even architectural features in Gothic cathedrals like worn stone stairways hold a deep interest for me. With the natural patina of history in mind I try to give those viewing my work a strong desire to touch the work and the feeling that it may once have had great significance to others in the past and has retained its strong emotional charge if not its original meaning.
Most of my work is presented on an angular contrasting base. This draws attention to the far more fluid, often abstract and hopefully profound exhibited form above.
Nigel Walker
