Musical Inspiration

“The musical instrument in this sculpture has a natural bond and connection to human life. Music entertains and educates us and speaks a universal language. The Dolomite lines represent the lyrics accompanying the music from the guitar. The lady is listening to the inspiring lyrics and music and it gives her happiness and peace. Music can do that.”

Simon found this particular piece of springstone in a quarry up a mountain side in Zimbabwe. He and a crew of men careful carried it down the mountain so that the stone face would not be damaged. The shape had immediately spoken to him and he had the image for his sculpture. With a stringed musical instrument on one side and a woman listening to the music on the other side. All of the work on the sculpture is done by hand. The smooth sections were sanded with 7 grades of sandpaper. These smooth surfaces were then heated with fire to open up the pores of the stone and wax infused into the stone, The white lines were created by cutting grooves in the stones, grinding up dolomite and gluing the white granules into the grooves. Simon has been the artist in residence twice over the past 10 years at ZimArt and was present for the installation of the sculpture.

ZimArt was an initiative created by Fran Fearnley in the year 2000. ZimArt's Rice Lake Gallery, was located in Bailieboro, Ontario (mid-way between Peterborough and Port Hope), representing over 50 Zimbabwean stone sculptors. The most comprehensive collection of hand-carved Zimbabwean stone sculpture in Canada was on display in a beautiful natural setting overlooking Rice Lake. Each year ZimArt hosted a visiting artist from Zimbabwe.