Blog
High Moor Goat
Goat sculpture carved in High Moor Sandstone.
Constant calling of baby birds
My Pied Wagtail parents are unflagging in their flitting and flapping after insects for their noisy brood. I see them every few minutes returning to the nest with beak-fulls of flies, run-picking on the way. As they approach the nest a loud, demanding chirping erupts, so without looking I know when next meal is […]
In the workshop – carving Long Tailed Bird
Long Tailed Bird is in the finishing stages now – you’ll see the progress since I was rough shaping the sculpture the other day. Now concentrating on silky smooth finish and sharp feather detail.
Open Studio weekends
It is very busy here preparing for Open Studios – finishing sculptures and making plinths so my pieces look their best for when you visit. My ‘Open Studio’ venue is the Village Hall in Lastingham this year – it is right in the middle of the village, parking is easy right outside, […]
Elementum Journal
In the workshop – shaping and sculpting words for Elementum. Elementum is a beautiful and special journal of nature and story. You’ll remember my discovering it recently here. The founder and editor Jay Armstrong invited me to write a short piece for the journal’s online Nature Journals. What a wholeheartedly joyous experience, working with […]
Heads or Tails
In the workshop today I’m working both – putting detail into beak and bottom! I’m aiming to carve out the feather shapes in particular, a little on the wings, but especially on this bird’s rather elongated tail – the rump feathers are called rectrices. The primary role of these feathers is to assist with […]
Spring Stone Carving Course
Over the weekend I was busy running my Spring Stone Carving Course here in Lastingham, North Yorkshire. I could talk lots about my excitement in watching the sculptures emerge, and everyone becoming easy and confident with the chisels, about how creative, disciplined and hard-working they were – but instead I’m going to let the […]
Dappled stone
Sunlight is filtering through the leaves and flower buds of my apple tree onto my stone as I work. We’re caught in a hypnotizing play of mottled light and dancing soft shadow. I’m spellbound by the shifting shapes spotting the stone, mingling, pattern-forming and wish I could carve quickly enough to capture their outlines. […]
Owl Sculpture – finishing touches
Following Guiding Lines to Help me on my Way and Owl Sculpture – Carving Progress I’m now getting to the stage of finishing the sculpture. This means being steady with the chisel, and precise. I’m also finishing the surface of the stone smooth, cleaning up all the curves and carving away any lumps and […]
The Display of the Pied Wagtail
The other evening I sat in the sunshine after shutting up the workshop, gazing, thinking about nothing at all really – mellowing. Suddenly I was aware of a loud, musical twittering and just yards from my feet were a pair of high-spirited Pied Wagtails. They commenced the most spectacular display, something I’ve never seen […]