‘Eye of the Wave’ Sculpture

Christophe’s early interest in sculpture began in Soapstone from the age of 10, and was introduced to the medium of sandstone by his French born mother and sculptor, who, herself, had been fortunate enough to receive invaluable tuition from her neighbour and well-known Sydney sculptor, the late Mitzi McColl, and although completing many soapstone, clay, hebel stone and award winning sandstone works during his school years, Christophe’s talent remained dormant thereafter for many years through the life distractions of career, travel, and family. Early in 2007, Christophe took a break from his successful marketing career as a brand developer to spend more time with his family. This gave Christophe the opportunity to unearth his hammer and chisels and revisit the blocks of sandstones that had been laying dormant awaiting his return in his back garden: he has never looked back.. Christophe chooses to work from natural Australian sandstone, handpicked from Gosford and Bundanoon quarries; he has a very strong connection with the stone and mentions … “The quality of stones I hand pick from the quarries hold incredibly beautiful iron bands of grain which I attempt to unveil and celebrate in all my pieces…. Sandstone holds many aesthetically pleasing qualities that i admire. I love the raw physical nature of sandstone, it’s colour, it’s texture, touch, durability and the historic history and connection it holds with the earth ” … Sandstone enables the smooth, simplified forms, subtle curves, flowing lines and rounded surfaces found in Christophe’s abstract works, and there are also many variations and combinations of textures waiting to be touched in his pieces. These textures include naturally weathered, frosted by chisels, rasped rough and polished smooth. Christophe has clues about the attributes of any given stone before he starts to sculpt it, but its full beauty and unique grains and characteristics are often not revealed until the sculpture nears completion. Conder’s artworks encourage viewers to discover new elements with each perspective, inviting them to explore the balance between void and fullness, the inner turning outward, concave meeting convex, and light following dark. This harmonious coexistence of opposites, as he sees it, reflects the complexity and unity inherent in nature itself.