At The House of Stone, we are delighted to bring together sculptors whose shared respect for hand-carved stone is matched by their individual voices.
Working in a material that demands patience, precision and a certain quiet conversation between hand and surface, each artist approaches stone in their own way—yet all are united by a commitment to craft and a sensitivity to form.
This collection celebrates that meeting point: where skill, intuition and material come together to create pieces that feel both grounded and full of life.
Biography’s
Shona Artists Elvis and King were resident artists in Hove where Deryk and PennyMay had the pleasure of working with them.
Elvis Mamvura
Aged 11, Elvis started sculpting under the tutorage of his father, internationally recognised sculptor Albert Nathan Mamvura who was famous for the type of mouth pieces displayed here. Elvis came to the UK with Africa Art and became a resident artist in Namrik Mews. He has one of the remaining quarries left in the Sapolite stone.
King Munya
King Munya is a renowned international artist. He is currently in Zimbabwe organising and opening an art and culture centre under the name: Wrongtime Village.
Deryk Parkin
Trained as an architect at Sheffield University with the intention of eventually becoming a stage designer. On completion of his training he began working for a firm of architects but was soon convinced that architecture was not to be his chosen career when his third building collapsed. To save face and the safety of the nation he decided to pursue his interest in the theatre, treading the boards successfully for over 40 years,
He painted, sculpted and exhibited during his periods of “resting”, exhibiting in his Stables Studio in Hove, where he combined his two great passions, art and theatre.
Though no longer with us, his work still carries that same sense of character and performance, and continues to live on through the Stables Studio in Hove.
PennyMay – works with Zimbabwean stone as a continuing journey of movement and exploration. Her work has a strong sense of grace and presence, shaped by a range of cultural influences, including her practice of Tai Chi Chuen.
Working with stone
Opal stone is a relatively soft, milky-light-green serpentine (although sometimes with a brown undertone) with a fine, smooth texture and near translucent surface. It is often specked with red, orange or blue and the overall appearance can be smooth or mottled experience.
Opal stone is widely loved by both carvers and collectors for its ability to hold fine detail, along with its soft green hues and the lemon-coloured flecks that run through the stone. Popular with sculptors, it’s easier to carve than Springstone while still taking a high polish, revealing a rich colour and beautiful subtle texture.
Springstone is one of the hardest of the stones, with a softer brown outer layer. Although found in several areas, Springstone is mostly mined by hand in the Guruve region.
Dark in colour and highly dense, it can be polished to a rich, deep shine. It’s strengths -comparable to marble – means it takes longer to carve, resulting in pieces that carry both a strong presence and greater value.
Sapolite is a hard white stone which is sometimes called “White Opal”. However, it is very different from the gemstone. It’s less commonly used, perhaps owing to its hardness and the fact it is mined only in one area with very few active sites.
Milky white in appearance, often with a soft pinkish outer layer, Sapolite lends itself to rare and distinctive works, valued for their subtle colour and quiet presence.