Emma Maiden

A tiny Adam carved into the base of an early medieval crucifix; the hands of an African mourning figure that don’t quite reach the child on her knee; an iron-hard lump of basalt half-scratched, half-carved into an animal charm. These things bewitch me. I want to absorb them, understand them and their peculiar power. So I draw a lot – in museums, churches, private collections. And, because drawing is an intense kind of looking, the shape and spirit of certain objects stay with me and sometimes – eventually – grow out of this mulch of images into new ideas and forms.

I’ve carved stone for ten years. My studio is a stable at Blaise Castle in Bristol, close to where I live. I carve by hand and each piece takes a period of weeks to complete. I think my sculptures are happiest in lived-in spaces, outdoor or indoor, where they can be part of the scenery of people’s lives. In turn, I hope they are a source of stillness and quiet.