PAUL SPENCER
PAUL SPENCER. FROM MASTER
CARVER TO ALCHEMIST
For over twenty years Paul Spencer has been busy creating and
carving some of the most prestigious fireplaces for acclaimed
historic houses and carving unique, spectacular designs for some
very discerning clients.
With his well-earned reputation as one of the country’s leading
master carvers, it would have been easy for Paul to rest on his
laurels and continue in the same vein, producing his marble
masterpieces.
But instead, Paul decided to pack away his chisels and return to
his first love, painting. (Paul studied Fine Art Painting at Farnham
College of Art.)
Paul also decided that he’d like a change of scenery and spent
the next six months in Italy. In this new environment, with his
newfound freedom to create and experiment, Paul started to work
with different materials, colours and textures - this is when the
Alchemist was born.
In this period of exploration, Paul experimented with the art of
Scagliola, a traditional technique dating back to the 17th Century,
which combines plaster and pigments to achieve a unique faux
marble effect.
Paul has re-mastered these ancient techniques to create a new
Metal-Marble in a mesmerising array of colours and effects,
incorporating glints of precious metals, with shimmering silvers,
bronzes and golds.
As well as being stunningly beautiful, this amazing material is
waterproof and extremely hardwearing, so it can be incorporated
into so many design schemes. From stand-alone statement
pieces, decorative wall panels and fireplaces (naturally), to work
surfaces and even floors, the possibilities are endless.
And it wasn’t long before Paul’s Scagliola mastery was put to the
test, when he was commissioned to design a fireplace incorporating
a London Plane tree, for a client in Berkeley Square. The results
speak for themselves. Paul’s background in Fine Art enabled him to
combine his phenomenal experience in fireplace crafting, with his
passion for painting, resulting in a uniquely beautiful piece.
www.paul-spencer.com
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