To call Lew French a perfectionist is an understatement. The work of this master stone artisan is nothing less than extraordinary! . . . . .
Known to travel great distances over periods of sev- eral days, if necessary, to find just the right stone or
combination of stones for whatever project he is working on, his creations are amazing works of the stoneworker's
art. He is -- in a very literal sense -- a true Rock Star!
Each and every stone, rock and pebble is carefully positioned to fit so precisely that mortar is not needed
to hold his outstanding compositions together. In addition, depending upon the scope of the project, Mr.
French meticulously incorporates other materials such as driftwood in some of his unique fire- place designs. The
stiking example pic- tured at right was created -- appropri- ately enough -- for a beach cottage.
Following is a short video that features a sampling of his remarkable work, as well as interview
segments with him. If you appreciate extraordinary stone- work and what goes into creating it, this video
is well worth taking a few min- utes to watch!
The following images reflect some of the depth and breadth of Lew's fireplace creations and show the
wide range of possibilities in his stone hearth designs. Rarely is the quality of craftsmanship and attention
to de- tail employed here even remotely approximated by other stone artisans.
If you're interested in viewing more of Lew's amazing work, his bestselling book, Stone by Design: The
Artistry of Lew French, (pub- lished by Gibbs Smith) features more than 125 incredible photographs of his
artistry in stone. In addition to fireplaces, the book includes images of his unique stone cot- tages, water
features, landscape designs and sculpture.