Blog
Lousy Watchman
This morning I found a beetle on my workbench, quite a big beetle, about an inch in length and very magnificent. It isn’t alive – I suppose must have been caught by a bird, who either dropped it or decided not to eat it – there are slight crush marks on its black shell, […]
Shapes of Autumn
There’s a nip in the air this morning, and really for the first time this year I’ve noticed the browning and curling of leaves, ripening nuts and fruits, seedheads and a real turning to Autumn. My little garden area at the workshop has given so much this year with fruit, flowers and vegetables – […]
Stone Carving Courses – dates for 2017
Dates for my Stone Carving Courses held here in Lastingham, North Yorkshire for 2017 are now confirmed. Stone Carving Course – Spring 29th and 30th April, 2017 Stone Carving Course – Autumn 23rd and 24th September, 2017 Further details and how to book can be found at Stone Carving Course – dates and details. […]
The Art Market YORK 2016
What an enjoyable three days! I’m now back in the workshop after exhibiting at The Art Market YORK – big thanks to all who made this such a successful and happy show, the organisers, visitors and all the amazingly talented artists and makers. I feel quite inspired and envigorated by it all! Here […]
Lapwing Sculpture
I didn’t expect that this piece of Cobalt stone would become a Lapwing – I thought the colouring and patterning might suit something more abstract. When thinking about sculpting a Lapwing I had imagined it in sandstone – then all of a sudden I saw this chunk of serpentine, not as a lump of […]
Behind the Scenes
Of course for me it is an every day scene – but The Art Market have made a series of short films as an introduction to artists exhibiting at their event The Art Market YORK. They visited me, along with One & Other Creative, who made the film – Meet the Maker – Jennifer […]
Erica shaped
When I was on the moor the other day I saw some of the patches of Bell Heather were showing some autumn colouring. This common heathland plant Erica cinerea (cinerea meaning ash coloured) at the height of flowering is bright pink/purple – cultivars of it are known as ‘Pink Ice’ and ‘Velvet Night’. They’re […]
Blackberry Cup
….. and it runneth over! They’re ripening as fast as I can pick them. My brambles (I have two wayward patches at the workshop) like my weeds have grown huge and unruly – but now make the tangly mess seem a joy as I harvest fullsome, shiny ripe berries. I’ve made a little stone […]
Lovely Ling
The heather on the North York Moors just now is breathtaking – I love the deep honey-sweet, woody smell. There are hints of peat too and occasionally the wind blows over the aromatic scent of Bog-myrtle. The senses are filled up, long stretching views of purple hue, a distinctive atmospheric light, […]
From the Rookery
This bird sculpture is carved in Springstone (a hard Serpentine stone mined in Northern Zimbabwe) and I’ve called it Fumblefot. The piece of stone is actually an off-cut from a sculpture I previously carved (Fugol), and in a similar way I’ve retained the golden colouring at the outer edge, inside the stone turns to […]