Blog
Autumn leaf forms
Over the last week or so I’ve stopped more than once to look more closely at a bird, apparently floundering in the road, I’ve seen one on the verge too. Yesterday I saw a mouse leap up and then lie still. When I get close it is a leaf, brown birdlike, flip, rock, fall […]
Where do you get your stone from?
A question that has come up quite a few times during my recent exhibitions and shows is ‘where do you get your stone from?’ Usually I exhibit a range of sculpture, carved in different stones and so I describe the quarries, countrywide, I have visited to collect stone blocks for working. Selecting stone is […]
What a gathering of beautiful work
An appreciative flow of visitors bought, talked and admired the work on display at Masham Town Hall for the Crafted by Hand exhibition last weekend. Towards the end of each day the sun, low in the sky, illuminated my stand through the upstairs Masham Town Hall windows and gave a golden glow to my […]
Zebra Rock
Recently I had a conversation with a couple I met at one of my exhibitions about Zebra Rock – they had some and wondered if I could carve it. I hadn’t heard of the stone before, so was intrigued to find out more. A few small pieces were sent to me in the post […]
Crafted by Hand exhibition
This weekend I’m exhibiting at Crafted by Hand in Masham for their two day Autumn show. Today is busy with final fettling of new pieces, painting plinths and getting packed up for an early start tomorrow. Crafted by Hand Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th November, 2017 Masham Town Hall 10 am – 4 […]
Plume
I’ve been working on a series of maquettes for a piece called Plume – this is one of them carved in Portland Limestone. I become rather fond of these models, they are a collection of open, honest, sometimes unresolved, sometimes unfinished, experimental trial runs. They teach me a lot about what needs further work, […]
And the artwork was beautiful
A family visited my stand at Art& show York at the weekend and one of the youngsters left a note in my Visitor Book about his experience of the show, which summarizes the event perfectly I think …. ‘and the artwork was beautiful’. It was such a busy weekend so I didn’t manage to […]
Twosome
A sculpture of two birds carved in Tadcaster Limestone – I love the spotting of colour in the tails of each bird, and it also appears lightly on their heads too. Such delicate mottling, which I think lends Twosome a gentle grace. I’ve sanded the birds smooth to give a fine finish. This pair […]
Tall-tailed Bird
Here is my sculpture Tall-tailed Bird, carved in Cornish Soapstone – the one I was sanding the other day. The sculpture is now finished and polished ready for my exhibition at the weekend. Art& York exhibition – Friday 27, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 October, 2017 – I’m on Stand No. 83. Look forward […]
In the Workshop – sanding my heart out
There are no shortcuts with sanding – it just has to be done if I want a flawlessly smooth surface. This bird sculpture will be polished, so if I’m not thorough I’ll be found out. As I work through the grades of abrasive I’m feeling the finish as much as seeing it, finger tips […]