Blog
Not a befuddled fog
A beautiful stone sits solid and quiet in a thick cloud of tiny water droplets.
RyeScape
Ryedale is my dale. Ryedale being the area in North Yorkshire where I live and work. I’m so fortunate in this, as Ryedale District Council are doing lots of exciting things for their artists and we have a remarkable Creative Economy Officer, Yvette Turnbull whose enthusiasm for and nurturing of creatives is infectious […]
Earthy Oxides
These tones come straight from a glowing summer sunset, or a fiery brick kiln. The presence of iron-oxide on the stone’s outer surface is responsible for this hot amber blush. The drama and excitement of it is perhaps heightened by the calm, palest creamy-white serpentine stone, which is the solid inner of this block. […]
Crow Country
Most days they are my background sound, and sometimes I stop, sit, and take time to watch their flapping rise, fall and curving in the sky above the line of trees which form the view from my workshop. Occasionally lone birds will caw and rattle at me from their perch at the top […]
Honing and Kibbling
Once I’ve carved my sculpture the surface can be ‘dressed’ to give textures and finishes, and there are many different surfaces I can create. Any finish given will alter the percieved colour of a stone, so I think about this when deciding. You can see the difference in the little samples above, they’re both […]
My favourite symbol
Most of us I think like to set off on little expeditions to seek out the new or adventure close to home. Walking explorations nearby are my favourites. I like to get the map out and plan a little route, usually there are features marked – old workings, a monument – I like to […]
Ferns from an Ancient Woodland
As the chippings and shards fall away, ferns and plant life from another world scatter to the ground. I’m trying to concentrate on carving, on my sculpture, but the stone transports me to ancient woodlands, pre-historic lush terrain, club mosses, fiddleheads and fronds.
What is it with Mice and the colour Red?
As the weather gets colder I find the little creatures start to come indoors – when I say indoors I mean the workshop. I can tell, as they leave little brown tell-tale signs, and also footprints in the stone dust. Once I came to put my gloves on and found the fingers chewn […]
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust – work day
Yesterday I spent a brilliant time with a group of volunteers at Appleton Mill Farm on one of the conservation work days with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The Farm is managed in partnership with the Trust and the day’s work involved clearing a steep, wooded, muddy bank of all the scrub and branches left […]
A Kestrel’s Chiding
Have you ever been scolded by a Kestrel? It is new to me – but there’s absolutely no doubt about it when it happens! This is the reason. A few days away from the workshop and wildlife has taken up residence – of course I’m delighted – but hadn’t expected it to be so […]