Axehead

‘The pre-war carvings of McWilliam in stone and wood have as their inspiration images that spring from the subconscious … The outer world has been sufficient for many artists for the supply of inspiration they needed, but the sculptor who relies on his sense of touch as well as his eyes has other more mysterious sources, a wide field of experience equally essential to him. The sense of touch can be a source of emotion independent of sight, but it can also be aroused by sight. We can feel rough or smooth surfaces at a distance without touching them and because of this the sculptor commands a mysterious power over our imagination. The sensory images he creates can in this way be rich and varied but they will be most potent when, in addition, they awaken associations with the imagination. The eye of the imagination which is equally vivid to those who have lost their sight, is not merely a fruitful source of fantastic images, it can also recall instructive memories form the past and become conscious of symbolic forms which seem to have a timeless existence’ (R. Penrose (intro.), McWilliam, London, 1964, pp. 4-5).