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<\/p>\nSculptor: Jan Gosling, Waipawa<\/p>\n
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I\u00a0 began carving in stone in March 2000 after the death of my father. My father\u2019s\u00a0 death is very significant to my work as he was the one to teach me basic woodcarving\u00a0 skills when I was a teenager. I also bought my very first piece of Oamaru stone\u00a0 on the morning he died.<\/p>\n
He, and my mother, also gave me an appreciation of New Zealand\u2019s forests\u2026\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and many of my pieces are derived from the unique forms of the New Zealand bush.My\u00a0\u00a0 carving skills have changed to accommodate using a different medium from wood\u00a0\u00a0 and many of my stone-carving techniques have been self-taught or adapted from\u00a0\u00a0 wood carving techniques.<\/p>\n
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I find the stone soft and easy to work, but it also has a strength which allows\u00a0\u00a0 fairly fine detail, and if sanded with a fine grade sandpaper and be finished\u00a0\u00a0 with a very fine, smooth surface which can make the piece tactile as well as\u00a0\u00a0 visual.<\/p>\n
Each piece of stone has an individual quality. Some pieces can be almost pure\u00a0\u00a0 white, while others have fossils and veins of iron oxide running through them.<\/p>\n
Often the nature of the stone cannot be seen until it is cut into, revealing\u00a0\u00a0 hidden secret and a uniqueness which can never be replicated.<\/p>\n
I get my inspiration for a lot of my sculptures from the New Zealand natural\u00a0\u00a0 environment, using soft flowing forms of ferns, seashells and flowing water.<\/p>\n
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I enjoy exploring shapes and shapes, and the interaction of light and shadows\u00a0\u00a0 which I feel is emphasised even more with this white stone.<\/p>\n
Soft curves are a feature of my carving and this is translated too in my exploration\u00a0\u00a0 of the human figure.<\/p>\n
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Some features are exaggerated and others are muted to give a sensual, stylized\u00a0\u00a0 figure which has a distinctly New Zealand feel.<\/p>\n
And with most of my human forms the works are finely sanded so that the piece\u00a0\u00a0 can be enjoyed through touch as well as visually.<\/p>\n
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Sculptor: Jan Gosling, Waipawa I\u00a0 began carving in stone in March 2000 after the death of my father. My father\u2019s\u00a0 death is very significant to my work as he was the one to teach me basic woodcarving\u00a0 skills when I was a teenager. I also bought my very first piece of Oamaru stone\u00a0 on the … Continue reading About Me<\/span>