PEACE
by BEN DEARNLEY
Benjamin C Dearnley.
‘Peace’
Medium: Italian Alabaster, red cathedral stained glass
Inspiration:
During one of Ben’s trips to Italy, he followed a lead to explore an old chapel on a Tuscan hillside at dusk.
Upon entering, he was struck by the powerful emotional resonance he felt and realised it was created by the setting sun striking the small windows at its west end. These were made of
thin slices of albaster – literally, windows of stone.
On his return Ben began to use this inspirational experience and the sculpture ‘Peace’ was born.
The work shows the Dove of Peace surrounding ‘Man’ in a protective way as it wraps its wings
around him.
Lit from the front we see the forms carved in stone in their natural state and yet when the light
comes from behind, the work takes on a living aspect with the colours blending into the stone
itself. The use of the red stained glass allows for a kind of passion and life force to infuse the
stone. Light being the source for this change hints at how it can also be a similar force for change
in our own lives. For is it not true, that in darkness we can only ever expect to see half of what is truly there?
BEN DEARNLEY
Ben Dearnley is a natural carver of stone, and has been fascinated by Man’s desire to make his mark in stone since his earliest days.
