Tom Allan
Sculpture has been a passion for me since my teens. A full-time sculptor now for ten years, I work in various media, but mainly stone and marble. I attend classes in sculpture and life size drawing at Glasgow School of Art, learned from stone-masons in Scotland and marble-carvers in Italy, and now work each year at a studio in Carrara and at Glasgow Sculpture Studios. I am an elected professional memember of visual Arts Scotland and of Paisley Art Institute, and elected Associate of the Royal British Sculptors Society. I have been awarded the Diploma of Paisley Art Institure (PAI).
For me stone sculpture is an expressive art. Through the stone I try to convey ideas and feelings, as a painter uses colour and form. My approach unites the immediacy of direct carving by manual methods and also the use of power tools. The challenge is to bring modern techniques and idioms to an ancient art. The majority of my sculptures are on a domestic scale, to be lived with in the home or outdoors in the garden. I have also done large-scale commissions, and public community projects in Glasgow.
Scotland has a long but neglected tradition of stone-carving. To reverse the trend, I have organised exhibitions of stone and marble sculpture, and set up Scotland's first regular International Stone Sculpture Symposium. Passing on skills is also important for me, through the classes I run for students from absolute beginners to experienced artists.
Big Wave
Carrara marble £2,100
We imagine the moment when a wave is beginning to break and the undertow pulling back afterwards.
Sun Symbol
Portland stone £1,500
A solar disk worn as a Celtic ornament and a Celtic cross were the sources for this work. Early Christians adopted pre-christian symbols to make the new religion attractive to converts. Tom writes; "I like the idea of bringing this connection to light, which happened accidentally whilst carving".
For me stone sculpture is an expressive art form. I try to express emotion through the stone I am working with, like a painter using colour and form. There is an excitement in that, and the challenge is to bring modern techniques and idioms to this ancient art.
