John de Pauley

John de Pauley has been a practicing stone mason for over 30 years. His craft is rooted in the traditional discipline of carving and expert restoration, having worked on some of the Nation's most important buildings of architectural significance. This deep understanding of the material delivers new forms that resonate with a peculiar and timeless beauty. His work emerges from the rich textures and colours quarried from Southwest England where John originally trained and has lived for over 20 years.

Maker's Story

John de Pauley has been a practicing stonemason for over 30 years. His craft is rooted in the traditional discipline of carving and expert restoration, having worked on some of the Nation's most important buildings of architectural significance. This deep understanding of the material delivers new forms that resonate with a peculiar and timeless beauty. His work emerges from the rich textures and colours quarried from South West England where John originally trained and has lived for over 20 years.

THE PROCESS

John de Pauley has been a practicing stone mason for over 30 years. With his craft rooted in the traditional discipline of carving and expert restoration, this deep understanding of the material delivers new forms that resonate with a peculiar and timeless beauty. After selecting a block of stone, John draws a rough pencil line onto its surface, providing a guide to its final shape, which is then carefully cut away using a hand saw. His pieces are carved with a wood chisel until the form finally emerges. Using rasps and rifflers over the surface, the piece is completed leaving tool marks visible.

Maker's Quote

I have been inspired working closely with architecture, conserving or restoring, getting a feel for the original hand… these classical elements can be quite wacky and exaggerated, not what we automatically assume or are conditioned to see.

John de PauleyStonemason