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41. Daniel Kilminster

WINNER - Highly Commended, Rookwood Stonemasons Award

 

Winged Lion, 2023

Sydney Yellow Block Sandstone

 

 

This winged lion in a sitting pose, is inspired by a number of gothic winged grotesques that I have admired from my research on Gothic Architecture.

I have been working in heritage stone masonry for 10 years. I'm currently working for Stone Restorations who are based in the Central Tablelands but have worked all over NSW. We specialise in the repair and restoration of heritage buildings, notably the Bathurst Courthouse and the Cathedral of St Michael and St John, Bathurst.

About the Artist

 

Daniel Kilminster lives on Wiradjuri Land in the Central Tablelands, NSW.

@dankstonemason

 

Transcription

G'day, my name's Dan Kilminster. This is my carving of a winged lion. It is an original design inspired by a number of gothic carvings, including the Lucerne Lion and the many winged lions associated with Venice. The sculpture is intended to be a part of a capital or frieze. The carving process was quite intimidating as it is by far the most complicated carving I've ever attempted.

I began by making a number of maquettes and using those to work out the dimensions and to begin the marking out process. From there, it was a process of cutting the stone down to size, roughing out the main features, fine tuning the layout, and then adding detail. Carving this stone has been a very interesting experience, as it was my first time carving anatomical features.

The head and mane was particularly intimidating, and I struggled to commit to carving it, although I am quite pleased with the result.