Waterfall artist creates masterpieces out of cuttlefish bone

Stephen Hughes has combined his love of marine life and his artistic talent to create one-of-a-kind masterpieces from cuttlefish bone.

The Waterfall resident has spent the last seven years perfecting his carvings, making a variety of creations such as seahorses, octopus, squid and fish, all delicately carved into the cuttlefish bone in a manner that shows the outer essence of the cuttlefish bone.

“I have always been interested in marine life and knew jewellers used cuttlefish bone in their castings, so I knew you could create a negative impression in cuttlefish bone, but I wanted to try make a positive image.

“There is an Australian artist who uses giant cuttlefish, but, as far as I know, I am the only person in the world who carves in the way that I do that still makes it recognisable as a cuttlefish bone.”

It took trial and error to perfect his craft due to the brittle nature of the medium and the fact that there are no books or guides on how to do it.

“It is extremely delicate and unforgiving. If you make a mistake, you can’t undo it. I had to teach myself and even made my own tools, improvising with toothpicks, emery boards shaped into different points, chopsticks, porcupine quills – anything I can imagine.”

His first creation was ‘Father Time’, but since then he has stuck to sea creatures, enjoying the irony of creating marine themes on a marine medium.

“I used to take my dog for a walk on the beach every day when I lived on the Bluff, and picked up shells and things off the beach. One day I picked up a beautiful cuttlefish and, out of curiosity, I carved a human face out of it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.”

Hughes has never studied art, although several family members are gifted in that field. He also has an exceptional talent for creating bonsai trees, so it was only a matter of time before he discovered his 3D artistic side.

“I never knew I had any ability until I tried. It taught me a lot of patience, persistence and attention to detail. I get a sense of achievement when I am 80 per cent through a project, and spend the next 20 per cent thinking about the next idea.”

He also has a love of stones, having been collecting semi-precious stones since he was five, and feels that if he had the right equipment, carving into stone would be his next artistic endeavour.

His artwork, which is displayed in beautifully-crafted box frames, has been in an exhibition at the Artisan Gallery in Durban and will be displayed in an exhibition in the foyer of the Hillcrest Private Hospital later in the year or next year.

His work can also be viewed – contact Stephen on 073 709 5928.