Artist Profile - James Connolly
James studied music and philosophy at university, but quickly realised that his true passion lay in the visual arts. Inspired by the direct carving school of Constantin Brancusi and working with Bernard Mcquigan, he began to develop his own individual style of stone images, in which he seeks to abstract and harmonize the human figure into its essential blocks of form and interlocking shapes.
James has been living in the Cotswolds for almost twenty years, drawn there by the rich limestone of the area. The colour of the stone varies from honey coloured tones of the north to the pearly white of the south, around Bath. His stone sculptures are carved in these warm colours often using some wonderful textures. While Cotswold stone is the hallmark of James’ sculptures, he also works extensively in terracotta, plaster, resins, metals and oil paints. Much of his work is from private commissions in addition to teaching from his studio and exhibiting widely.
“The labour of the stone sculptor is to take each fresh block of unplumbed, secretive stone, and working with a simple mallet and chisels, to find the shape hidden within the uncarved block and with tender blows release it to the light.”
Commissions Welcome.
