Altar Stones is a sculptural piece, it consists of two chalk stones found near the Carmelite Priory site at Lossenham, thus its title is a play on words between the connection to the Priory and the chalk stone’s carved and altered state. The stones were carved to sit as if in dialogue, one form sitting close to the other, openings through the chalk connect front to back, open the heart of the chalk and provide airways for communication and sound.

Because of the fragile nature of chalk I decided make a copy of the sculpture by casting the stones in a natural plaster resin and then coloured with pigments made from minerals foraged at Lossenham. This would give me the freedom to make and mark future copies in different ways. The chalk waste left from carving the original stones was broken down and mixed with a natural glue to create a traditional ground for three paintings forming a triptych produced later.

The stones sit on an ash plinth made from foraged wood found at Lossenham, the natural whiteness of the ash complementing the white of the stones and echoing the white robes of the Carmelites of the ancient Priory.