Wildlife
Little Owl Sculpture
This is the first time I’ve carved Ancaster Weatherbed stone. This piece was so beautifully flecked grey and brown that I thought it perfect to suggest the feather colouring of a Little Owl. I’ve worked Ancaster limestone before, but that was the stone the quarry describes as Hard White. Within the beds (the layers […]
The Year in Books – March 2015
I’ve gone and got really organised for my The Year in Books, and made some bookmarks. Just simple ones that were easy to do – I printed some sketches I made of my geese onto thick card and then cut to shape. I think the tassels make them look rather smart – these were made by winding […]
Rabbit
This is the result of my chipping – a Rabbit sculpture carved in Portugese Rose marble. Last year when I was collecting from one of the nests my geese were laying in, there was a little rabbit sitting right in the middle among the eggs, all cosy. I was able to get very close and […]
Calls of “pee-wit”
Its busy in the fields above my workshop – the noisy carrying-on makes me down-tools and take a few minutes to enjoy the sight and sound. Lapwings have returned – they nest in these fields and presumably they’ve come to select and compete for the best sites. Soon there will be courting displays which are wonderful […]
The White Fox Gallery
This is White Fox – it’s a little piece I carved to celebrate my forthcoming exhibition at the White Fox Gallery. I’ll be showing work as a guest artist, alongside another stone carver Natasha Smith, whose work is also inspired by the natural world, following themes such as shells, leaves, insects, clouds, fossils and hollows – I’m […]
Birds in my Garden
It seemed very quiet during my Big Garden Birdwatch, the Great Tit and Blue Tit were most numerous. A few of my regular visitors didn’t show at all. When making a concentrated effort to watch wildlife, I always think something incredible or unusual will occur – perhaps I will encounter something never before witnessed, or discover a new […]
Big Garden Birdwatch
I love to join in with the Big Garden Birdwatch (in my little garden), and yes, I’m all ready to list my visiting birds on the 24th and 25th January, 2015. Actually there isn’t really much to do in preparation – I do anyway keep my feeders regularly topped up, particularly at this time of year, and […]
Quarry Beetles
Sometimes when I’m carving lumps of stone into sculpture, I find fossils – or sometimes I see them at the quarry. Usually they have been what look like plant stems, or seeds. This beetle fossil was revealed in a piece of stone from the Kent RIGS – it is a Cupedid. Cupedidae is a small […]
The Year in Books – January 2015
For a long time I have promised myself that I will read more, and I’ve managed it in small bursts , but never kept it up, so was really pleased recently to come across The Year in Books over at Circle of Pine Trees. The Year in Books is all about trying to ensure we make space for […]
Old Hushwing
This is the Barn Owl I’ve been telling you about, here, here and here! Last night I managed to get a picture of it, in my shed, appearing to look right at the camera! I can’t stop staring at it! Old Hushwing is a another country name for a Barn Owl, and how beautifully it describes […]