top of page
Poppy Lawman
England
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Tell us about your piece and how it represents the Country that you are from?

Having moved to Oslo, Norway around 6 months ago one of the last sweet memories of my homeland was of striking St. Paul’s Cathedral, in central London. At our last weekend, my partner took me on a surprise day around London to favourite spots or places we had always meant to visit ending with an incredible, intimate rooftop view of St. Paul’s. It was so striking that the very next day we decided to see what it held from within and were lucky enough to get to experience a choral service. With all that being said, even before that lovely last weekend it held a particular place in my heart. Architecturally it represents 1400 years of London life and has seen all around it grow up from skyscrapers to transport technology etc. It even has protected sightlines from various vantage points and parks so that it visually will always remain part of the classic London skyline which harmoniously blends architecture centuries apart. At night from across the Thames you can see it romantically aglow reminding us in a world of constant change and progress that somethings can be relied upon to remain the same. 

​​

St. Paul’s is an iconic cathedral, built around 1675, located in the heart of the United Kingdom’s capital. It took nearly a decade to design and four decades to build the magnificent structure that was to replace the medieval cathedral that had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London. It has become an important historical landmark of our religious heritage and founding as a nation. Personally, it feels it stands for the strength and resilience of it’s island people throughout the centuries withstanding countless wars and bombings such as the London blitz of World War II where it could be seen standing firm amongst the fires. 

​

What was the most challenging part of the brief?

Actually as soon as I heard the brief I knew I wanted to make St. Paul’s. Perhaps the real challenge was simplifying it’s i decorated and detailed facade while still keeping it true to the original architecture. Sometimes when i’m making a structure like this I even squint my eyes to see what at a glance I pick up on in the way of shape and color value which helps me to decide what parts are key features etc.

​

What part of the brief did you enjoy the most?

As St. Paul’s is my favourite building in London I have actually wished to try my hand at it for a while. Keeping some of it’s classical feel by sticking to one color was quite satisfying….as well as making the itty bitty teeny tiny cross!​

​

How did you enjoy working with Excel Blades?

It sounds a bit funny, but my preferred instrument from Excel was their blade dispenser and disposal box. Having used knives or scalpels as a constant tool over the last ten years blade disposal has always been an irksome task wrapping them in paper ect., for the bin. Furthermore, while using the blue grip knife, I found it had a nice tightening mechanism at the bottom rather than the top so my constant use and firm grip didn’t loosen the blade in use. 

  • Black Facebook Icon
  • Black Instagram Icon
bottom of page