When the sculptor, Philip Quinn, talks about stone, he is also talking about place, home, memory and deep time. In the warmth and breadth of his expression, you meet someone nestled in family and tradition.
At a recent exhibition of his work in Dublin, ‘Dindsheanachas’, I recall hearing him encourage visitors to use their hands to help them see! ‘You need to touch the stone!’ – marble from Carrara, Connemara or Kerry, or what he calls ‘wild stones’, all invite you to feel their rough or smooth textures and enjoy the sensuous interaction between you.
Philip knows these pieces so well, he can almost feel for them; ‘these limestones were formed 320 million years ago, you can see the fossils of the little creatures alive at that time’. In a recent interview he shares; ‘Kilkenny marble has a blackness that surrounds you. It has a depth that draws you in and holds you like the cool of a beech-shaded roadway on a summer’s day’.
Artist and poet, his practice combines a meditative aspect along with hard, physical work. Months later, when he has released the singing line in the stone, it will express an unexpected lightness and rhythm. His titles tell as much: ‘Nocturne’, Luminescence’, ‘Veneration’, ‘Hymn’.
Surrounded by his art, we are drawn by the presence of stone for we too come from the earth and share a sacred story. Appreciating that closeness deepens our sense of who we are and happens especially when we take time to listen in, to touch and be touched.