Blog
Small Burrowing Mammal
… with short dark fur, popularly supposed (from the smallness of its eyes) to be blind. Did you guess what it was from the description? Mole – carved in Soapstone Of course there is so much more to a Mole than that, not least its huge and powerful front limbs – perfectly designed for […]
Wondrous Animals
Fables and folklore surrounding the Unicorn have long beguiled humankind, and certainly fascinated me. With their flowing white manes and long, curly horn and association with the moon they are the very symbol of purity and legendary for protecting their owner from poisoning. A beautiful and haunting beast, and an enchanting image for my […]
National Exhibition of Wildlife Art
Earlier in the week I drove down to the lovely little village of Waverton in Cheshire with stone sculpture in the passenger seat and footwell. It was ‘delivery of works’ day for the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art – the organisers then make selections from all the submissions for the exhibition. I’ve just learned […]
The joy of new tools
Tools do eventually wear out, their useful life comes to an end. I feel disgruntled and out of sorts when they do. They’ve become shaped to my hand, I’ve got used to how they work, I’ve sharpened them and they have served me well. Stone is a particularly punishing material on tools, especially […]
Swallow Fledge
This is my baby swallow – it is the only one that hatched from the clutch of eggs and as a singleton, has had all the devoted care of both parents and all the food. It has surprised me over the last couple of days in clambering out of the nest and shuffling along […]
Demonstration of Stone Carving
There’ll be chips flying, hammer blows and quite a bit of dust – and probably aching arms too! On Saturday 2nd August I will be demonstrating stone carving in Helmsley as part of the town’s celebrations for Yorkshire Day (1st August, 2014). I have been invited by Helmsley Galleries to join the special event […]
Squirrel Sculpture
Squirrel – Ancaster Limestone – 8″ x 6″ x 8″ My Squirrel sculpture is one of the pieces I’ll be exhibiting at the Masham Gallery ‘Animal Magic’ exhibition – 25th July to 31st August, 2014.
Writ in stone
All around me just now there’s a frenzy of clanging and growling machinery cutting meadows, turning hay, baling and bringing in. While the sun shines. It is a good feeling to reap and stock the rewards of sowing and nurturing crops – I know from my own vegetable plot. Recently I came across this […]
Day 18 – and a little miracle!
Each day has been ticked off – I counted ahead so I knew when days 14-18 were. Day 18 is today. On the 6th June my swallows started to sit on their eggs – 9th June was disaster day (I found a dead swallow on the nest). Immediately another bird came and sat. I […]
It’s raining Sycamore flowers
They hung, fragrant and sticky earlier in the year, buzzing with insects eager for the sweet feed. The leaves and twigs of the tree, and the ground beneath, glistened with honey-dew. Now they fall down in showers, blown and sunburned brown and dry and carpet everywhere with their soft, cone-shaped florets. I scooped up […]