Blog
Breaking rocks in the hot sun
Phew! Tools resting in the heat – actually it is me taking a break, gone to find some shade to cool off.
Stone Carving at Rural Arts
Rural Arts are based in Thirsk in the town’s former Courthouse and Magistrate’s House which was renovated, making a bright creative centre for the area. As well as the activties hosted at The Courthouse, it is also used as a base for a range of workshops and events which are taken out into the […]
A reward for not weeding
A nettle patch at my workshop grows gargantuan, along with willow-herb and the thugish Hogweed – they’re all fighting with dock and bramble! My plan was to clear the area, and I even set aside time to do it, but found it so full of insects, crawlies and caterpillers that I left it to […]
Forest Snail
Did you know that most land snails have a shell which spirals to the right? I’ve been looking closely at a shell as I’m carving one in stone. The central tip of the spiral is the shell that the snail was born with – when it emerged from its egg. As its soft body […]
Out on Lastingham Knoll
If I walk a few hundred yards of steep hill out of Lastingham village, I’m on the moor. A track leads out along Lastingham Ridge with spectacular views over Spaunton Moor, all of which is part of the greater North York Moors. I wanted to clear my head, and the air up here is […]
Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens – exhibition
Chips are flying and new sculpture is taking shape. The weeks before an exhibition are always exciting – even if there’s a bit of a frenzy in the workshop getting sculpture finished on time. Nothing like an exhibition deadline to galvanise arms into action and focus the mind. This is Bird in a Tree […]
Preliminary sketches for sculpture
Sculpture often begins with drawings. These quick, scratchy sketches help to clarify the pose, rythm and feel I would like in my sculpture. Also, in looking closely at the bird, to draw it, I learn exactly how it is made up – how it holds its wings, how the feathers lie, what happens […]
Stone carvings at West Tanfield
There stood a little tower, with a very pretty oriel window of six lights with tracery and a pyramidal stone roof, beckoning me to explore. The 15th Century, three storey gatehouse is known as The Marmion Tower and is presumed part of a no longer existing manor house which stood close to the banks […]
Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows
About this time last year I was planning my week long trip to Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows. Irthlingborough Lakes and Meadows lies at the heart of the Nene Valley, one of the most important wetlands in England and an internationally important stop-over for thousands of wildfowl and waders. Bordering the River Nene, the marsh […]
The Sun is High
Happy Summer Solstice There’s lots of talk about the Strawberry Moon this year on our longest day – but I’m happy with late evening sun and a Barn Owl flying overhead.