Selecting the right quarry block for a new sculpture was the priority yesterday. The Gallagher's Hermitage Lane quarry is managing to get some nice large blocks out at the moment and it was this one in particular that I was immediately drawn to because of its length. The ragstone, like many natural stones can be unpredictable and it's important to look for sound surfaces. There are several obvious faults and flaws visible on the quarry block but these look like they run out. Sometimes, others are only made apparent when the stone is opened up and explored through cutting. Luckily for me the opportunity to do this in the quarry allows me to see how the stone could behave and if it's right for the purpose of carving. It also helps me reduce the weight of a 5 ton block to just under 2.5 ton, something I would have had to do at the studio! The dimensions I'm now left with after sawing 3 sides is a block, 2 m x 1 m x 500mm....more than enough to carve the idea I've been wanting to do for a while.
