Shawn Stovell has discovered a new talent: creating intricate art from the slate used on roofs. He stumbled upon it last year when unpredictable weather kept him from his masonry jobs. While doing maintenance work at the home he shares with his wife, Monique, he decided to try his own take on the decorative plaques often seen on Bermuda houses, carving one from slate.

The idea was unexpected, even to him. Although Mr Stovell was taught art in school, he never took the classes seriously. “I only did art because I had to,” he said.

The first piece he created was a star, which he mounted on the gable end of the house. “My wife saw it and she was blown away,” he said.

Encouraged by the reaction, he decided to attempt something more detailed. Two days later he began carving the face of an elephant into slate.

“It just triggered from there,” he said. “Next thing you know I had 11 or 12 pieces.”

His art is made using Duro Slate, a material now widely available in Bermuda and commonly used for roofing.

The product was introduced locally when traditional slate became harder to source. Similar in appearance but lighter, it is well suited to detailed carving, Mr Stovell said.

To create the pieces, he uses a mix of power and hand tools — a cordless drill, an electric grinder and various blades such as hacksaw and small handsaw blades, along with rasps. Many of the tools are the same ones he regularly uses in his masonry work.

Rather than leaving the designs as architectural features, Mr Stovell decided to rework them so they could be displayed indoors.

“I made my own frames and mounted the slate on them so people can hang them up inside wherever they want,” he said.

Support from his wife and children helped give him the confidence to continue developing the work and eventually share it with others.

A friend suggested he put them on public display. Mr Stovell joined the Bermuda Society of Arts and entered a handful of works in the organisation’s Spring Members’ Show in April last year.

The exhibition opening fell on a meaningful date for the Stovells — their 15th wedding anniversary. Mr Stovell received a second gift that evening when he was named Best Emerging Artist.

“I was totally blown away,” he said. Having never pursued art before, the recognition came as an incredible surprise.

“I’ve found myself to always kind of be on a creative level, but nothing to this extent [although] I’ve always been pretty handy with my hands,” the mason said.

He kept the slate in its natural finish for that first show at BSoA, but for a second one later in the year he experimented with adding colour to the designs.

Visitors responded positively to both exhibitions, often telling him they had never seen anything quite like his work.

Mr Stovell said the feedback encouraged him to keep exploring new ideas and pushing the designs further.

Each piece requires careful shaping and patience. Many take between 12 and 16 hours to complete, although some require considerably more time depending on the size and detail of the design.

“I’ll work on it for four or five hours, leave it and come back to it,” he said.

The most time he has spent on a single design is about 34 hours.

Despite having no formal training as an artist, he said the creative process quickly began to feel natural.

“When I started it, it felt like I’d been doing it all the time,” he said. “It just led to another picture and another picture.”

While he still works mainly as a mason, he hopes the slate artwork will eventually grow into something more.

“I would love for this to be my full-time job,” he said.

Anyone interested in his work can visit Furniture Walk, which accepted two pieces for display after Mr Stovell approached the Harvey Road store about showcasing his art.

“They were totally blown away as well,” he said. “I can’t believe I’ve done it. My wife has always told me that I’m amazing. Now the world gets to see it.”