Working in both America and the UK, Cornish born Lawrence has received wide acclaim and success with his stone carving. Lawrence sculpts in a selection of beautifully coloured stone, his favourite being Serpentine (Cornish Marble). He is best known for his sculptures of amphibians and reptiles. Lawrence visualises the creature he wishes to carve and then searches for the 'perfect stone'. The base is then cut flat, the outline marked in chalk and the carving begins. The animal body is finally sanded to a smooth finish and wax is applied. A wide selection of Lawrence's work will be available at Purple gallery until the end of January 2010.
Found only on the Lizard peninsula in the U.K. Cornish Serpentine is the name given to the green and red marble-like decorative stone found on the Lizard Peninsular of Cornwall. The rocks of the Lizard complex are of extreme geological importance – being Britain’s only ophiolite suite. The rocks, known as serpentine today, were originally upper mantle periodites composed of olivines and pyroxenes. Geologists believe that many millions of years ago, the rocks were present below the sea of a small rift valley (similar to the Red Sea today) and were lifted over the top of younger rocks when continental plates began to converge. Iron minerals such as goethite and hematite are present and the resulting rock has a multicoloured appearance resembling snake or lizard skin. Local Cornish farmers may first have noticed the beauty of these rocks and a small cottage industry was established, producing tourist gifts. During Victorian times a sizable industry grew up by Royal approval, but the industry has since declined.
Connemara Marble
In 2002 Lawrence visited Ireland with the intention of buying some Connemara marble to carve. On visiting two locations, he was told that the stone was difficult for sculptors to carve due to its various hardnesses and striations. With much reassurance that he could carve the stone, he was allowed to take five small pieces. In 2004, he returned with a carved frog as a gift for each quarry owner. Having proved that he could carve, he was allowed to purchase more (1.5 tons!) and every two years, he returns to stock up.
Picasso Marble
Found in U.S.A. Whilst Lawrence was living in the States, he flew from Las Vegas to San Francisco, hired a truck and drove 200 miles north to Beaver, Utah where he loaded up 3 tons of Picasso marble. He drove 800 miles with the marble to his then home in Marin County and shipped some of the marble to the U.K. when he returned in 2000.
