Replica of Alexander the Great

After completing the Lion of Chaeronea, the same customer came back to me with another request — a replica of Alexander the Great. I was happy to take it on.

I spent time studying photos online to work out how to approach the portrait before I touched any stone. I decided on Mt Somers stone because it has a more refined finish than Oamaru limestone, which felt right for the subject. The downside is I can't get it cut to size. I have to go out to the farm at Mt Somers, where the farmer pushes boulders down off the creek ridge with his tractor, and choose a piece I think will work. That means envisioning a complete head inside an irregular river boulder before a single mark has been made — not the easiest starting point for planning a design.

Mt Somers stone is also less predictable than Oamaru stone. You have to take care with every chisel strike because large pieces can break away without much warning.

My brother came around while I was working from the drawing. It was the last year we had together before he passed away. He looked at the drawing, then at the boulder, and couldn't see how one was ever going to become the other. I knew it was in there.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly from start to finish, and my customer was pleased with his Alexander.