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The Display of the Pied Wagtail
The other evening I sat in the sunshine after shutting up the workshop, gazing, thinking about nothing at all really – mellowing. Suddenly I was aware of a loud, musical twittering and just yards from my feet were a pair of high-spirited Pied Wagtails. They commenced the most spectacular display, something I’ve never seen […]
Easter Sunday morning
Woke exceptionally early (too much chocolate the night before?!) and was met by a frost. Anxiously did my round of checks at the workshop, new seedlings, just planted out sweet-peas, my re-located Good-King-Henry plant, tender parsley, my tiny Oak – all okay! Collected the goose eggs, and hadn’t at all needed to decorate any, […]
Pretty Easter Blossom
The hedgerows are filled with pretty Blackthorn blossom and the tiny fragrant flowers covering my gooseberry bushes are throng with the contstant buzz of visiting bees. I’ve hung some decorated eggs from a sprig dotted with the white, spring-fresh flowers to toast the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre. Happy Easter
Owl Sculpture – carving progress
My owl sculpture is beginning to take shape – from the initial drawing on the stone I carved out the rough shape and it is now ready to have some detail and refining. It is when the owl’s real character will emerge and when I make sense of the irregular surface, carve in the […]
North Yorkshire Open Studios 2017 Brochure
We’re just eight weeks away from the start of North Yorkshire Open Studios 2017. (That’s come round quickly!) On Wednesday I went to a meeting at the Milton Rooms, in Malton held by the NYOS17 organisers to collect the printed publicity material, brochures, posters, signage and to get all the information about the […]
Flutter in Flowers
The time of the singing of the birds is come, and flowers appear. When I was carving this sculpture, which I call Flutter, I thought of it being in a garden surrounded by spring flowers. Flutter sculpture in Tadcaster Limestone – details in my brochure.
Preview night – RyeScape Exhibition
After all the preparation it is a lovely thing to have a busy Preview night. Ryedale Folk Museum created a warm and welcoming entrance to the Gallery, serving refreshments and nibbles to the stream of visitors. The Gallery looked lovely with the selected works by artists living and working in Ryedale. […]
Guiding lines to help me on my way
In the workshop today – I’m beginning an owl sculpture. Before I start carving into the block of stone I quickly sketch an outline of my idea – the drawn lines act as a guide so I don’t take off stone where I shouldn’t! I’ll keep you updated as I go along.
Chisels for Cutting Letters in Stone
New chisels arrived at the workshop today, looking very smart in their own canvas tool roll. Actually I’m quite pleased with this, as I want to keep these chisels just for lettering stone and it holds them safe from being chinked together, and the cutting edges protected against knocks. Previously I’ve carved sculpture and […]
Westonbirt Weekend – Gardens Illustrated Festival
At the weekend I exhibited at the Gardens Illustrated Festival held at Westonbirt School, Tetbury in the heart of the Cotswolds. It was dark by the time I arrived to set up, but there was lots of activity in the marquee which was flood-lit and festooned in bunting with all the spaces marked out […]