From spires to briars
- Mar 24
- 3 min read
Words by Hannah Tapping
New work from sculptor Richard Holliday reflects a journey from historical architectural roots to stylisation and abstraction.
Looking ahead to a new solo exhibition at the Salthouse Gallery in St Ives, I spoke to Richard Holliday about how, after more than a decade working in historical architecture, this practice has defined his art.
“The structure and ornamentation of ancient buildings has to be precise and stylistically correct. In the era that I learned my craft there was a strict series checks and balances from the workshop to the wall, via foremen, site agents, architects and clients. There was no leeway regarding quality and this disciplined way of learning a craft demanded a high level of skill. Due to the nature of the work, which included various styles from the distinct orders of classical and gothic architecture mixed with contemporary structures, I was often making forms similar to what had gone before. While this was restrictive at times, this aspect of my early working life allowed me to develop all the hand skills necessary to produce anything from my imagination.”
Leaving such a disciplined way of working, Richard moved into the world of public art, designing original and unique pieces: “While your own work comes down to one’s ability to imagine and innovate, time is needed to develop away from simply replacing something that already existed as a function or ornament of an existing edifice.” Moving to the present day, stylistic and technical processes developed through Richard’s long career as a stonemason, reveal a new body of work that is artistically diverse and acts as a visual narrative of a career in stone.
“It takes time and risk to re-develop your own agency within this discipline,” Richard tells me. “Where one might think that such skills developed over time for a specific purpose would be restricting – and in the early days that may have been true – now they have simply become a series of well-disciplined automatic skills that can be adapted to the imagination. The secret is not to allow established techniques to stall and more importantly not allow them to stunt your imagination. There are many situations where a particular technique or texture for example would be inappropriate for formal work but would be a defining characteristic of a contemporary piece.”
“As a craftsman in my era, your personality was secondary to what you produced. The only route to earn respect was by way of the quality of work that came off your ‘banker’, which did mean that priority of focus was clear and incentive easy. To a certain extent, that was still valid when I moved into the public art space with its big budgets, strict deadlines and Royal openings.” Even after two decades of very successfully producing his own work for galleries and intimate landscapes Richard remains humble: “I have yet come to grips with the ever-changing moods and trends of the artworld. Luckily, I have my stone and my tools as pragmatists and an anchor.”
As well as producing studio pieces, Richard works with architects and interior designers in order to integrate work into landscapes or interiors as well as running courses for those wanting to brush up their stone carving techniques. Late June into July (dates to be confirmed), fellow sculptors will be able to book for two or three days at a time to concentrate upon a particular issue they might have with a certain technique or to further develop and refine basic tool skills. “Anyone interested, can find out more about these courses when I’m in attendance at the Salthouse Gallery during the exhibition or at The Old Pumping Station Gallery during the Cornwall Open Studio period.”
Richard Holliday’s solo show, From spires to Briars will be at The Salthouse Gallery, St Ives from Saturday 24th April to Friday 1st May 2026. The show will be invigilated by Richard from 9am until 5pm, for its duration. In place of an opening night, a ‘social Sunday’ will be held from 10am to 5pm on 26th April, where visitors are invited to view the work in a relaxed environment, with an opportunity for conversation with the artist.
Richard Holliday’s work can also be viewed at Whitewater Gallery, Polzeath; Thompsons Gallery in Alderburgh and Seymour Place, London; Gallery TR1, Truro and the Old Pumping Station, St Keverne TR12 6PX. For further information contact: richardonholliday@hotmail.com
