Female (2006) Sculpture by Paul Holbrecht

For me it's the ultimate challenge to create original and unique artwork out of a block of stone. It's some kind of magic how every piece of rock contains its own "biggest possible" sculpture inside, you 'just' have to remove the rest of the stone which you don't need for your sculpture!

Already as a child, as far as my earliest memories reach, I've always been fascinated by everything that has something to do with creativity. Most of the time I was doing some trifling, drawing, carpenting or trying out stunts. I also loved going on hikes, walking in the forest, fishing, ... Briefly: adventure.

I also loved spending hours on demounting and dissecting several worn off objects and apparels - yes, even a destructive side wasn't missing -, through which, according to me, one obtains insights faster than through other, more passive ways. Above all I admired the one thing that, to me, is almighty: Mother Nature. Is there any greater work of art? Apart from that, I had the greatest respect for real artists and craftsmen, who, like nature, are constantly creating, renewing and repairing, and so they are paying homage to our ever Great Source.

During my course of life I have tried almost every form of art: from drawing in pencil, pen-drawing in ink, designing posters and T-shirts, painting on several types of surfaces (walls, skateboards, surfboards, guitars, tables, clothes, canvas, ...), to decorative drawing, letter drawing, drawing invitations, birthcards and visiting-cards, engraving glass and stone, woodcutting and stonecutting.

During all this time, there was brewing a certain predilection for the tangibility, the authenticity and
unique look of statues and reliefs, more definite for sculptures in stone. Miraculous and awe-inspiring I found/find all those mysterious stone statues from the antiquities, which after hundreds, thousands of years of fighting the elements and occurences, still give us an image on the creations of our ancester-artists and craftsmen, who provided the styles and sights of our whole history.

It was a 35 year long search before I discovered my beloved medium in art: stone sculpting, especially in hard stone, although I won't exclude any other material in the future.

• Nationality: BELGIUM
• Date of birth : 1964
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary Belgian Artists