Shaine Lewthwaite

Artist Statement

I establish a deep, long-lasting relationship with each stone from the moment I pick it up.

Sitting atop a crate full of rocks from Zimbabwe, one will call out to me, its creative energy will reach for me. And so we begin our journey together. It talks, I listen, carefully and compassionately. As I chip away its shell, its innate desired form starts to reveal itself in my mind. The image is then channeled through my hands, and it slowly begins to take shape.

The process could go much faster and would require much less physical exertion if I chose to work with pneumatics. Yet my primary passion in working with stone comes from the spiritual connectedness, which in turn comes from touching and feeling it with my bare hands - sculpting by hand simply brings me much closer to my piece.

When I feel that the stone has become what it intended to become, I bring our working relationship to a close. Most often it's a face full of emotion, with a story reflecting my distinctive South African culture. The meaning may be silent, but its inimitable expression is powerfully apparent. Now it reaches out to others, drawing their attention and stirring inspiration, as it did to me in the beginning, in its raw form.