Stef van den Heuvel

After years of working as a lawyer, I discovered my passion for sculpting. Although legal work requires creativity, law also limits the creative freedom. Sculpting offers complete freedom of expression.

During a sculpture clinic I discovered my sculpting talent. Next day I purchased all necessary tools and a stone and just started sculpting. From that moment on I could create anything I wanted.

A world of stone opened up for me. During the process of sculpting, a form of communication takes place between the artist and the object. I tell the stone what I want to do by hacking, grinding or sanding. The stone tells me what is possible or how I should adjust my plan by cracks, by hidden fossils, by breaking or by showing it’s beauty.

I love being a sculptor and I enjoy every step of the sculpting process, from the forming of an idea for a sculpture to sketching the design, selecting a stone, hacking, scraping, sanding and polishing. As a sculptor I get inspired through my fascination with natural forms, movement, rythm, and all aspects of human existence. A sculpture can be like a story, a movie told in one frame.

How much better is it to extract a form from a raw piece of stone then to create for instance a legal contract? While sculpting, my feelings, motorics, observational skills and flexibility are constantly tested. The reward is unmeasurable. The sculptor does not have a job, he is the job.