Marc Brown

Marc has been working in construction for 12 years. He started out in landscaping and general building before doing his apprenticeship with Traditional Restoration Company in Sydney, where he learned how to carve architectural and ornamental stone work along with restoring various stone buildings and monuments. He now works for himself, working in all aspects of Stonemasonry and services any area from Sydney to Bathurst.  

Follow Marc on Instagram: @marc_l_brown

About the work

With the carvings for the competition being displayed at Rookwood, I wanted to keep my carving in the theme of cemeteries. I also wanted to try and create a feeling of a shrine to the 'Green Man’ in the carving. 

The Green Man is a very old symbol and has been used to signal a change of seasons and rebirth of spring by Europeans starting from around the 11th century, but also as far back as the Romans as a symbol of the close connection between humans and nature. Often carved in wood but also common in stone carvings, the Green Man is a person’s face hidden through leaves or foliage.

I used the book as a symbol of knowledge, representing knowledge and the time that it takes to become and Stonemason/Carver. I then carved the letters on to the book to give the carving more of a headstone feel.

I carved the mason symbol, the square and compass, on the top of the carving as this symbol was used by stonemason’s long before it became appropriated by the freemason society. I also liked the saying that goes with that symbol which is “All men are equal on the square” which is a sentiment that I wanted my carving to portray.