Anna Rubincam

Windmill Studios

Stone carver

©Liam Prior

©Anna Rubincam

©Jack Webber

©Megan Jordan

Passion and skill carved in stone

Anna mainly works using Portland stone, a limestone from the isle of Portland
In her view, stone carvers must innovate to stay relevant
She likes to think that her work will outlast her

Anna Rubincam is today as passionate about her craft as when she embraced her first stonemasonry course at Weymouth College in the early 2000s. Anna has always felt a strong link to the past, and to the resilience of stonecarving, a painstaking and lonely craft, where the same tools and techniques have been used for centuries. She works on commissions and restoration, interacting with the historical soul of buildings that have endured centuries. "I pay huge respect to the nameless artisans who worked before me," she says. Anna enjoys the hard physical work involved in stone carving and never ceases to learn and improve. "After years of experience, I can shape into stone what I have envisioned and what matters to me," she explains. She is inspired by the dramatic works of Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

Interview

©Jack Webber

©Megan Jordan

Can tradition and innovation coexist?: They must. I often use traditional techniques and styles of carving in more modern ways, pushing boundaries and challenging the viewer. But to do this you need to master the stone masonry techniques, as well as drawing, clay modelling, and anatomic knowledge of human and animals.
Why does the work of Bernini inspire you?: Picture the David by Bernini. The skill and empathy of the artist allows us to picture the person David might have been before releasing the stone that would change his life. You can feel the tension and attitude, and these become a form of interaction with the viewer.
Why do you love your craft?: In this digital world, I love how the main work of stone carving is still done by hand and that projects may not go perfectly to plan. I feel a profound connection to past carvers, who are largely nameless but whose graffiti and chisel marks I sometimes find during restoration projects.
Do you have any advice for young carvers?: This profession will not make you a millionaire! It can be exhausting, it is loud, time consuming and often repetitive. But if what you want to do in life is carve stone, then just do it, knowing there is a lot of commitment required. I was given this advice and sometimes still rely on it today.

Anna Rubincam is a master artisan: she began her career in 2010 and she started teaching in 2013