American sculptor Matt Byrd has used granite stones found in his hometown in Raleigh, North Carolina to create small abstract sculptures that fit together like puzzle pieces.
Byrd drew on the patterns and laying techniques used in traditional masonry to create the collection of sculptures, titled Howard.
Matt Byrd gathers granite from North Carolina to sculpt the series of abstract works
"All the materials are sourced from my surroundings," he explained. "I've spent a lot of time salvaging raw granite from around my hometown and taking them back to my studio."
To form the works the artist chisels the salvaged stone by hand and uses no adhesion
Each of the pieces is hand-sculpted and composed of two to four uniquely shaped pieces designed to fit together, including wavy cutouts, rounded edges and compartments and ledges formed to fit smaller parts. The individual names of the sculptures are informed by their shapes and forms, including Headache, evocative of a human face
The stones are designed to rest on top of one another and fit together using no adhesion. This construction method is influenced by the artist's love for "old school dry stonewalling", a practice for constructing stone walls that uses no mortar.
"It is very important to me that each stone sits on top of each one without any adhesion," he added. "Trusting nothing more than friction, bond, and joinery."

Byrd has individually named each of the sculptures in th...