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He's built boats and circumnavigated the world, and now George Westbrook of Rockport, Maine, uses alabaster and soapstone to create art inspired by these experiences. Turning alabaster on a lathe, Westbrook specializes in urn-shaped pieces that feature rims and lids of wood or soapstone. "Few people are doing shows in alabaster, so the newness of the medium makes my work interesting to craft presenters," reports Westbrook, who started working with the stone in 1989. Since then his work has appeared in shows all over the East Coast. |
Trained as a woodworker, Westbrook applies some of the same techniques used for that medium to alabaster. As with wood, alabaster is turned on a lathe.Some pieces may start off as 60 to 80 pound blocks of raw stone, that are eventually sculpted away until what remains is a five-pound urn.
Inspired by an article in a woodworking magazine, Westbrook was curious to see if lathe-turning could be applied to stone media. "Turning stone seemed really interesting, and not many people were doing it," he recalls. "When I go to shows, people are just astounded that you can turn stone. They always think it's really hard, but alabaster is only a 2 or 3 mohs (the international standard for measuring the relative hardness of stone -- Diamonds are a 10, granite 5, marble 3) on the hardness scale."
"I have been a craftsman in wood for the past twenty-two years. My current images have been inspired by my extensive travels, sailing thoughout the world, and by my building and repairing of fine yachts and traditional boats. Broadening my craft to the unique medium of alabaster and soapstone has further enabled me to explore my curvilinear designs."
-- George Westbrook
