Zoë Wilson Carving

Edition 4 Feature
Words by: Zoë Wilson 
Location: Hampshire, UK 
Photo Credit: ©AsiaWerbel / ©Tara Bradley-Birt / ©Zoe Wilson

Continuing the tradition of skills passed from master to apprentice has shaped my career and is at the heart of my work. My stone carving is simple in its manufacture, using only a mallet and chisel, but born from a wealth of knowledge gleaned over the years from highly skilled craftspeople. I once read in a Medium article by Reed Knecht (2018) that craft is the “seemingly impossible skill of making something by hand. Perfectly.” This is precisely how I feel about carving. 

For me, craft is also about the personal relationship between the maker and the material. I feel a huge amount of respect for stone as a raw material and feel a responsibility to always strive to create pieces worthy of it. 

I have always had a love of being creative. As a child, my family taught me the pleasure of making things by hand and always encouraged self-expression. I studied for a fine arts degree in painting at university but found it too conceptual. This led me to understand that I am interested in the material and the process of making as well as the ideas behind the finished piece. That is, I am a craftsperson at heart. 

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