Thompson’s Gallery – Harpenden: 20th September – 7th October

Influenced by the likes of Henry Moore and Zaha Hadid, Paul Vanstone has carved his way into becoming one of the leading sculptors in the field, whose work can be seen in major galleries across the UK as well as the British Museum and the V&A. Using classical carving techniques to create 21st Century forms, he is intuitively guided by the stone beneath his hand. Paul allows the individual nature of each piece of marble or onyx to lead to its final form. He is fascinated with the solidity and light reflecting qualities of marble and how this can be transformed to portray the human body, a portrait or fabric.

Paul Vanstone studied sculpture at Central St. Martin’s School of Art before completing an MFA in sculpture at the Royal College of Art in 1993. After graduating, Paul worked in Italy at the traditional marble carving studios near the famous quarries, where he honed his traditional marble carving skills. Travelling and working on through Berlin and Rajasthan to learn India’s traditional marble carving techniques, Paul then settled back in London where he worked for five years as assistant to acclaimed British sculptor Anish Kapoor.

Today, Paul’s work can be seen across the world in private and public collections. His projects take him worldwide, recently delivering a 16 tonne Italian Carrara marble sculpture to Lagos, Africa and his latest public commissions were installed at “Gardens by the Bay” Singapore.
At home in an interior or exterior setting, Paul’s sculpture brings elegance to a space. Be it the centrepiece of a room or offset amongst an arrangement of tall grasses and trees, his work will instantly become the focal point of any landscape. Verdant green foliage creates the perfect foil for Paul’s white marble sculptures, whilst a heavily veined onyx torso looks at home against an interior wall.

More sculptures by Paul will be available for the exhibition. The entire exhibition can be viewed online, www.thompsonsgallery.co.uk