Blog
Flighty Bird
Flighty Bird is a sculpture carved in Ancaster Limestone. The piece of stone had lovely colouring, showing mottling and striations, telling of its formation millions of years ago, with varying deposits and layers of sediment. This bird carving was inspired by the many wild moorland birds here – they lie so still, quiet and […]
Garden Birds – Long-tailed Tits
Whilst counting for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch last weekend, I tried to sketch my little visitors as I watched. A flock of Long-tailed Tits flew in to the feeder, and most of my drawings were of these charismatic little birds – I found it difficult as they all moved around so quickly! I […]
Only Girls Allowed
Only Girls Allowed is the title of an exhibition at the Wensleydale Galleries starting in March – to celebrate International Women’s Day on Saturday March 8th, 2014. I’m very pleased to say that I will be showing sculpture at the gallery for this exhibition, and am just starting a figure carving – a female […]
About January’s Garden
From Geoffrey Chaucer’s ‘The Canterbury Tales’ in the The Merchant’s Tale, about January’s garden – such lovely words and I agree! He made a gardyn, walled al with stoon; So fair a gardyn woot I nowher noon. The whole section where these lines appear. This noble January, with all his might, Honourably, as does […]
Big Garden Birdwatch
This is a Dunnock, perching on the edge of my trailer. This bird became the star of my Big Garden Birdwatch last year. This afternoon I’m getting ready for the 2014 watch, filling up feeders and making sure the birdbaths are topped up with fresh water. I love this dedicated hour of watching my […]
Winter Sculpture
It was lovely listening to Andy Goldsworthy on Countryfile talking about sculpting in winter time and that he relishes the snow and ice. For me the colder days mostly just bring the challenge of keeping warm, though invariably the thought of working with cold stone and chisels is much worse than in reality. He […]
In the Workshop today
Apart from cloud watching that is – I actually worked pretty hard today, and now in the warmth, and full of supper, feel happily tired.
My very own climate change
It is something I’ve never experienced before – indoor clouds! Well, inside sort of – actually in my workshop. The hard frost meant iced up locks and bitter working conditions today, and I might have given in, except for the strong sun, which stung my already ‘frost-burned’ face. As soon as it was high […]
Cabinet of Curiosities
Sometimes as I garden, little treasures pop up out of the soil, or occasionally they are washed down in the beck and stand out because of pattern, colour or shine. These are recent aquisitions, and will join my other rows of comforting curiosities. I have quite a collection now and I love to […]
Visit to Mima
On Thursday I visited Mima – it was a trip planned and organised by Ryedale Artworks. We all gathered and travelled by mini-bus to Middlesbrough. It was my first visit to Mima, and I have to say that on arrival I was a little underwhelmed – though we did seem to arrive at the […]