Stone by Design: The Artistry of Lew French
[Lew French]
Product Description
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.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #70 in Books
- Published on: 2005-08-08
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 160 pages
Editorial Reviews
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
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.
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.
Customer Reviews
Shows stonework can be true art.
This book is 5 stars all the way. Lew French shows his masterful stonework in the many photos this book provides. If you are interested in what can be done in stone and how stone can be used to create a “WOW FACTOR”, this book is made to order.
Every other page has photos that are “WOW”.
Is you love stone you need to see this book.
Stone By Design
Caught a TV article on Lew French – CBS Sunday Morning. What a fabulous
artist! I bought the book based on the show. The book was not as good
but not bad. It’s still very interesting stuff with some beautiful photography.
True Beauty
This book is pure pleasure. The artfulness in creating the spaces we live in with stone in pattern, an organic extension of this earth. This is not a ‘paint by numbers’ how-to book, rather, like looking at a
Rembrandt, ultimate examples of stone taken to true art.
arpijikii
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