Stone by Design: The Artistry of Lew French - Hardcover

French, Lew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1586854437 ISBN 13: 9781586854430

Publisher: Gibbs Smith, 2005

Synopsis

More than 125 gorgeous photographs showcase the beauty of award-winning stonemason Lew French's work in eight different homes, illustrating how rounded fieldstone, gray slate, rough granite, and even curvy driftwood can be incorporated into stunning pieces of functional art.

French provides charming narration for each project: how an idea came to be; how a stone-splitting technique is executed; even how one of his most difficult pieces, a three-year-long project, was saved from ruin the day it was completed.

With its contemporary hearths of rustic slate, sculptured walls of both great granite slabs as well as stacked and rounded fieldstones, Stone By Design: The Artistry of Lew French will inspire design lovers to incorporate this material in home interiors and exteriors, whether as an artful writer's studio, a playful fireplace, or a carefully crafted garden pathway.

More than just a stunning tribute to the work of Lew French and his unique vision and craft, this book celebrates both the function and form of stone. It's the perfect inspiration for anyone interested in adding the beauty of stone to their home or landscape.

Lew French was born in the small farming town of Zumbrota, Minnesota. He started to work with stone when he was just nineteen years old. He moved to Martha's Vineyard twenty years ago and has worked on his own stone designs exclusively since. His work has been featured in the New York Times, House Beautiful, The Boston Globe Magazine, Architectural Digest, and Metropolitan Home. He has also been featured on HGTV's Modern Masters and local programs in the Northeast. He has two sons, Asa and Truman.

Alison Shaw is a fine-art and editorial photographer who lives and works on Martha's Vineyard, which has provided the inspiration and subject matter for much of her color and black-and-white photography. Over five thousand of her original fine-art prints are in public and private collections. Alison's work appears regularly in Yankee Magazine, Martha's Vineyard Magazine, and Cape Cod Life. She teaches photography workshops for the Maine Photographic Workshops and Santa Fe Workshops. Alison lives with her family in Oak Bluffs.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

When Lew French made his first stone fireplace at age nineteen, he didn't expect to feel so drawn to the simple material. Twenty-eight years and countless projects later, he still feels awed by the presence stone has in a well-designed setting, whether it's an artfully rendered remodel of a writer's stone studio, a playful fireplace, or a carefully crafted garden pathway.

This first collection of French's work, filled with artistic inspiration for your own home or landscape, is a study in contrast: contemporary hearths of rustic slate, sculptured walls of both great granite slabs and stacked, rounded fieldstones.

More than 130 gorgeous photographs by Alison Shaw illustrate the beauty of French's pieces and invite you to see how rounded fieldstone, grey slate, rough granite, and even curvy driftwood, are incorporated into stunning pieces of functional art. Throughout, French narrates the charming stories behind the projects: how an idea came to be; how a stone-splitting technique is executed; even how one of his most difficult pieces, a three-year-long project, was saved from ruin just in the nick of time, the day it was completed.

Stone by Design is the perfect inspiration for anyone interested in adding the beauty of stone to their own home or landscape.

Lew French was born in a small farming town in southern Minnesota, called Zumbrota. He started to work with stone when he had a small construction crew right out of high school and built one or two houses a year. He moved to Martha's Vineyard twenty years ago, and has since worked on his own stone designs exclusively. His work has been featured in many publications, including The New York Times and House Beautiful. French was also featured as a Modern Master on the premier season of "Modern Masters" in the House and Garden Network. French lives with his two sons, Asa and Truman.

Alison Shaw is a fine-art and editorial photographer who lives and works on Martha's Vineyard, which has provided the inspiration and subject matter for much of her color and black-and-white photography. Over 5000 of her original fine art prints are in public and private collections. Alison's work appears regularly in Yankee Magazine, Martha's Vineyard Magazine and Cape Cod Life. She teaches photography workshops for the Maine Photographic Workshops and Santa Fe Workshops. Alison lives with her family in Oak Bluffs.

About the Author:

Lew French was born in a small farming town in southern Minnesota, called Zumbrota. He started to work with stone when he was nineteen years old. He had a small construction crew right out of high school and built one or two houses a year. This is when he started to explore with stone.

He moved to Martha's Vineyard twenty years ago, and for the past twenty years has worked on his own stone designs exclusively. His work has been featured in the New York Times and House Beautiful.

About this edition

• Publisher: Gibbs Smith
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1586854437
• ISBN 13: 9781586854430
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160