Ben Russell

Stone sculptor

©Jon Ashworth

©Russell Sach

Building on stone heritage

Ben makes sculptures inspired by organic forms
He used to work in the heritage industry
He hopes to reignite awe for the natural world

Growing up on the Jurassic Coast in southwest England, famous for archaic stones and fossils, Ben Russell's career already seemed carved in stone. After polishing his stone carving technique at the City and Guilds of London Art School and training alongside many skilled stone carvers, Ben returned to his home county of Dorset. Looking for inspiration, he turned to nature, its flora and fungi. “I think of the natural world now as I did when I was a child: for me it is full of mystery, folklore and wonder,” he says. Using his imagination and traditional techniques, Ben crafts contemporary sculptures of fungi and cacti, solidifying them in translucent stones, so that the light can pass through them in a similar fashion to real life.

Interview

©Ben Russell

Why did you choose the career of a stone sculptor?: Stone is a material that speaks to me. It is hard, heavy and unforgiving, but can be sculpted to be soft and light. I love its permanence – there is something enticing about knowing your work will outlive you by hundreds, if not thousands of years.
What draws you to craft fungi sculptures?: I find their forms sculpturally interesting, and there is a lot to them. They are living, thinking organisms that can problem solve. Every time I learn something from them, it opens up more questions, and so they always make me come back for more.
How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?: It is important to me to use my traditional training to keep these skills alive. I do love my power tools, but I need to personally connect with my work, so I almost always come back to my hand tools to create the flow, texture and the tactile nature of a piece.
What is your crafting process?: Once I lay my eyes on a form that inspires me, I tear straight in with an angle grinder to take off a large areas of waste. As the form comes together, I move in with chisels to refine. The finishing is done with rasps and files, then by sand, wet and dry papers.

Ben Russell is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2007