He had his first contact with stone in 1980 when he became an apprentice in a stone workshop, learning his trade as a stone-mason. This experience provided him with a strong basis to his craftsmanship, that, allied to his natural ability has proved invaluable in his career as a sculptor.

As soon as his apprenticeship was over, he set out on his own path, eager to put his skills to more imaginative use and to explore the possibilities of stone in his own way.

For three years he worked in Germany, but despite a positive reaction from the public, felt he had to consider more profoundly the way in which he was working and the direction he wished to take.

When he was 25 years old he visited Monchique with his wife Uscha, and on impulse they acquired, in an isolated spot beyond Alferce, a piece of land with a small house clinging to the side of a mountain. This was a totally different world from urban Germany, close to Nature and an ideal place to escape the pressures of contemporary life. Here he could have the time and tranquility to find his own way as an artist.

In Monchique he began to work in marble, which was easily available and was a material that he knew well. His need to express himself in a completely free manner inevitably led him to abstract forms. Yet although the sculptures are abstract there is a close relationship with nature that gives life and warmth. The relationship is not in form but in concept, though sometimes, for example, a reference to a wing can suggest the movement of flight.

Georg says that while he is working he is not just looking for a result, but that the way of expression is supremely important. He works to the limit of the material, and while feeling totally involved, at the same time keeps his distance. His mind is open as he walks a narrow line between concept and realization.

The expressive way in which he works, combined with his own intuition gives his work a feeling of inevitability, as though the sculpture were waiting inside the block to be released, rather than to have a shape imposed on it.

The vitality of his recent sculptures justifies the risks that are taken in their execution. The subtle curves and fluidity of the lines excite not only an admiration for his technical skill, but also reveal his unusual talent and imagination.

Glyn Uzzell
Caramujeira, 10.2.1998