Blog
Sculpture in the garden at Nunnington Hall
Here is Hedgehog in the Cutting Garden (which is also the vegetable garden) at Nunnington Hall. All the pieces arrived in the rain and wind, it was a very soggy setting up, but today they enjoyed the drying sunshine and look much happier. High Moor Goat surveys – looking out on a live willow […]
Lookout Bird
Bird sculpture in sandstone. If you’re a Lookout Bird you need to be alert, have a long neck to stretch above the meadow grass for scanning, and possess keenly watchful eyes.
Hedgehog Sculpture
Hedgehog sculpture carved in Yorkstone On average an adult hedgehog has around 5000-7000 spines – each one a hollow, stiff hair about an inch long. A baby hedgehog naturally sheds its spines as the new, adult ones grow through, a process known as ‘quilling’. There is a little trail from one of my stone […]
White Birds Sculpture
Three stone birds make up this sculpture – I suppose a triptych of sorts – which I’ve carved in Portland Limestone. The bird shapes are similar, but each in a slightly different, but associated pose and designed to be appreciated together. The birds are part of Naturalithic my exhibition at Nunnington Hall which opens […]
Hot weather and hammer handles
The spell of hot and dry weather has caused the handles on my stone carving hammers and mallets to become loose. The wood dries out and shrinks just enough to cause the iron mallet head to slip and move about. It doesn’t help with carving! It is something that happens over time with hammers […]
Maltese quarry message
When I saw the M&G Garden, winner of Best Show Garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show it made me feel at home, all that stone and feeling as though I was at the quarry. The designer, James Basson has created the dry, dusty, stony feel very well, with the planting looking to […]
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, […]