Jeremy Kester is a stone sculptor based in the Pacific Northwest whose work explores gravity, void, rhythm, and the quiet emotional charge of objects that feel both ancient and newly discovered. With a background spanning music composition, performance, and industrial stone fabrication, Kester brings a deeply physical, process-driven sensibility to carving hard stone—particularly basalt and granite, often sourced from regional quarries or salvaged industrial byproducts.

His sculptures are defined by clean, fluid lines, sharp transitions, textural contrast, and meticulous finish. Rather than offering explicit narratives or critique, Kester’s work creates space—an invitation to pause, wander, and reflect. Influenced by the expressive power of instrumental music, he approaches form as a language capable of conveying rhythm, harmony, and emotion without words. The resulting works feel simultaneously contemporary and timeless, like artifacts unmoored from any specific place or era.

Kester’s connection to stone began early, shaped by childhood explorations of quarries and granite cliffs in the Sierra Nevada. That early fascination eventually evolved into a career in industrial stone fabrication and production art management, where he developed extensive technical fluency across tools, materials, and large-scale processes. This foundation now supports a direct-carving practice that embraces improvisation, physical engagement, and the discoveries that emerge only through sustained contact with material.

In 2024, Kester traveled to Japan to work in the studio of master granite sculptor Keizo Ushio, a formative professional experience that deepened both his technical skill and philosophical approach to sculpture. There, he learned advanced carving methods—including Ushio’s signature enkiri cutting technique—while working within a lineage that values patience, precision, and respect for material. Kester considers the preservation and evolution of hard-stone carving traditions essential in an era increasingly defined by automation and replication.

Kester lives and works in the greater Seattle area and is available for commissions of any scale. He will travel anywhere to make a good stone smaller—and more interesting.