Toby Govan: The sculptor who breathes life into stone in Estepona
The Scottish sculptor shares his art, his personal story, and the deep bond he has with stone, inviting the people of Estepona to enjoy his exhibition.
Estepona, August 8, 2025. Toby Govan, a self-taught sculptor originally from Scotland, has spent more than twenty years working stone in his Estepona studio. His distinctive style and deep bond with nature and the stone’s own form have made his pieces resonate not only with the eye but with the soul of those who behold them. Throughout his career, Govan has blended his personal influences with a singular artistic vision that breathes life into every stone he touches.
In this interview, Govan shares his story, his style, and the profound message he conveys through his art, while also inviting us to enjoy his latest exhibition, “The Thousand Layers of Life,” at the Casa de las Tejerinas in Estepona.
The influence of his family and the connection with the stone
Estepona Info: What inspired you to become a sculptor and what has been your greatest artistic influence?
Toby Govan: "First, thank you for the visit and for the interview, and for giving a voice to Estepona’s culture. I’m a foreigner, originally Scottish, from Edinburgh, but I came to Estepona when I was five. My parents were among the first foreigners to settle here, and they were kind of hippies. For a long time we made whole-wheat bread and used a wood-fired oven, right here in Estepona. Eventually that had to stop when the health regulations and all that arrived, and we had to give it up. My father, at a very late age—47—decided to pick up a stone on the beach and a piece of wood, and he started sculpting to sell at the local flea market. My mother was always a watercolor painter, so from a young age I had the influence of an open mind, the idea that you can be whatever you want. I also got my mother’s education in composition, in seeing life through an artistic gaze. And on my father’s side, the big influence was that his sculptures consisted of choosing any stone and following its lines; between the two of us we called it ‘reading the stone.’ I inherited that from him."
Self-taught: The art of polishing the stone
Estepona Info: At what point did you decide you wanted to devote yourself to sculpture?
Toby Govan: “I’m not from Fine Arts, I haven’t attended any art school. I’m completely self-taught. I learned to polish my father’s sculptures, to polish the stones he worked on. During a complicated time in my life, I didn’t know what was happening to me, like it happens to every teenager, I didn’t want to be what my parents did. I wanted to be a footballer. But, in a tough moment, I was forced to rethink my life for two or three months, and I started to go beyond just polishing my father’s sculpture. My father encouraged me to begin making my own sculptures. He gave me a spot at a flea market in Sotogrande and, surprisingly, I started selling quite well.”
Estepona Info: Was it your father who helped you take that first step?
Toby Govan: “Yes, he encouraged me a lot. My father let me sell what I made, and that gave me a lot of confidence. My first art agent was Sam Venadi, who had the biggest gallery in southern Europe, Sammer Gallery in Puerto Banús. I was with him for seven years, although there came a time when I decided I wanted to fly solo. I didn’t want to keep being just a supplier for them, I wanted to get real feedback from the public.”
A unique style: Biofigurative or Ecofigurative
Estepona Info: How would you describe your artistic style?
Toby Govan: “I’d say my style is biofigurative or ecofigurative. The form is figurative, but it’s not completely defined. I can make a figure that looks like an elephant, but it’s not a perfectly defined figure, I just follow the lines of the stone. That is, I don’t impose an idea on the stone, the stone has its lines or shape, and I follow them. For example, in Estepona I have a two-ton elephant. That stone was in my workshop for two years, it was more square. And one day, the light hit it in such a way that I saw a trunk. I marked it with chalk, cut it, and little by little the figure began to emerge. Sometimes it happens that I think I’m creating one figure, like a seated elephant, but in the process another one appears, and I let myself be carried away by what the stone tells me.”
The creative process: From nature to sculpture?
Estepona Info: Do the figures sometimes come to you directly from nature, or is it you who works them to reach that figure?
Toby Govan: “There are times when the shapes come to me straight from nature. Many people call me ‘the sculptor of hugs’ because I make small sculptures, often with round stones, that represent two people embracing. In other cases, the stones already have strange shapes, and then I try to follow the line of the stone, as in the case of the angels we’re seeing now. Here, their feathers join following the lines of the stone. The working process depends a lot on each stone, on what it suggests to me.”
The difficulty of working with marble and other materials
Estepona Info: Is marble one of the most difficult materials to work with, or do you have others you consider more complicated?
Toby Govan: “The truth is I admire quarrymen a lot, who work with sandstone, where you have to hit and use the chisel. I work more with marble and other dolomitic stones, which let me grind and round the shapes. For me, it’s easier to work with this type of stone, but I know not everyone thinks the same. As my father used to say, the sculptor has a ‘gift’, which is that for you things come easy. It’s like a writer who feels comfortable writing. For me, creating stone sculptures is something very natural.”
The message in his art: Connection through sculpture
Estepona Info: What message do you try to convey through your sculptures?
Toby Govan: “For me, the message is connection. I make sculptures to be touched. In today’s society we’re often told not to touch art, but I believe physical contact is essential to understanding it. Human connection, that touch on the shoulder, that hug, is what I try to transmit. Love isn’t just a red heart, it’s a real connection. My work invites people to touch, to connect with the stone, to feel something, even if only for a brief moment.”
Exhibition at the Casa de las Tejerinas: “The Millefeuille of Life”
Toby Govan is currently presenting his work in an exhibition entitled “The Millefeuille of Life” at the Casa de las Tejerinas, located in Plaza de las Flores in Estepona. The exhibition, which will remain open until August 31, offers visitors a unique insight into the sculptures that have marked his career.
Estepona Info: Which piece would you like visitors to the exhibition not to miss?
Toby Govan: “Each piece has sentimental value for me, but Junio, a pink-marble sculpture, holds special meaning. It’s a female figure that represents femininity and motherhood, and I created it at a time when we didn’t yet know we were going to be parents. It’s a prophetic work, and that gives my life and my family an even more special touch.”
Visit Toby Govan's exhibition at the Casa de las Tejerinas
If you haven't had the chance yet to see Toby Govan's work, we invite you to visit the exhibition "The Thousand Layers of Life," on display until August 31 at the Casa de las Tejerinas, in Plaza de las Flores, Estepona. The exhibition is open every day until 11:00 p.m., except Mondays. Don't miss the opportunity to admire sculptures that bring stone to life, inviting the viewer to connect with the essence of each piece. A unique experience in the heart of Estepona!
