Cat's Eye Carving

A plaque for the Lady Mayoress of the City of London.

23 November, 2023 – 9:08 pm

I was commissioned to carve this wonderful Puffin playing bagpipes for the new Lady Mayoress of the city of London.

Commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Masons , this is part of the family heraldry of Elisabeth Mainelli.
A liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Masons and the Lady Mayoress of the City of London.

The next stage was to cut and sand a piece of Forest of Dean Sandstone, then draw out the inscription ready to carve.

The completed carving had two bases, the piece of Forest of Dean sandstone I used for the lettering had to be relatively large to fit the inscription on, the letters were 1.25 inch capitals and 3/4 inch lower case. I used gold leaf in the letters.

The second base was to make the carving easier to display and was made from a thin piece of Welsh slate.

I finished the carving by painting the detail with enamel paint, this makes it suitable for outside, but I hope that they keep my carving indoors.

I was privileged to be invited to Mansion house in London to attend the presentation.

So much beautiful architecture, it was a sensory overload. The contrast between old and new really is awe inspiring.

The plaster work inside Mansion House is exquisite, if you follow this link, it tells you how you can book onto a tour.

The unveiling ceremony took place in one of the beautiful rooms of this magnificent building.

Left to right in the picture; the Renter Warden, Me, the Master, the Lady Mayoress, the Upper Warden and the Clerk.

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A memorial.

13 November, 2023 – 10:23 am

As a traditional stonemason, I spend my time doing all aspects of stonemasonry and letter-cutting, this is my latest completed commission.

I am an old Manwoodian of Sir Roger Manwood’s school in Sandwich.

In the Summer, I was commissioned to carve a name onto the commemorative plaque in the school hall.

During the October half-term, I spent the day carving.

The fonts used by previous carvers on this plaque and the existing one are all slightly different so I drew my layout to compliment them all.

Working off a scaffolding tower for the day always poses difficulties, it wasn’t quite high enough so I stood on small carpet tiles to lift me up a bit and held my arms higher.
However 7 hours of discomfort is nothing compared to a life given.

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Pendants & earrings.

1 November, 2023 – 6:17 pm

I have been busy designing and making some more of my unique jewellery.

If you are looking for something unique for someone special, then look no further.

Each pendant and pair of earrings are one of a kind, I create beautiful pieces that can be worn everyday or to accent an outfit.

My Welsh slate and sterling silver jewellery is surprisingly light and I make them to be worn everyday.

My glass beads, crystal and freshwater pearl earrings are statement pieces but I design jewellery that I would like to wear, so hopefully you will like my jewellery too.

I can make something especially for you or someone else, you can choose your colours, length and style.

Please feel free to get in touch if you would like to find out more.

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Re-pointing.

25 October, 2023 – 11:10 am

I love getting out on site.

This was a small re-pointing job that needed to be addressed before the winter sets in.

Cutting out rubbish cement and building back in bricks with lime mortar is very satisfying.

Lime mortar allows the building to breathe, whilst keeping the weather out. It doesn’t trap moisture like cement, so ultimately reduces the chance of damp inside. Done properly lime mortar will looks beautiful and will stand the test of time. Because cement is so hard and un-yielding, the stone or brick breaks down and erodes around it, this makes it easier for moisture to get in and therefore the erosion procession will speed up. Freeze/thaw happens when the moisture in the blocks freezes, expands then thaws and this will repeat. The material undergoing this process will break down.
Lime allows the movement of moisture through the blocks and out of the building, reducing the chance of this process taking hold and increasing the life of the building material.

I am looking forward to getting back out on site after the last frost in Spring 2024.

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Commissions and carving.

22 October, 2023 – 10:52 am

I love playing around with the letter forms to create the word, these two, hand carved and painted Forest of Dean sandstone, Petals like a Primrose and Petrichor, the smell of the rain after a dry spell.

The Star, my customers favourite Tarot card, hand carved out of a piece of French limestone 14 x 19 inches. A Forest of Dean sandstone house sign, hand carved with a Roman Font.

The last of these three is a plaque that I was commissioned to carve by the Worshipful Company of Masons. It features the heraldry of this historic livery company, I hand carved this out of Welsh slate and the base is St Bees Sandstone, the letters are hand carved and gilded.

I needed to shape the top of the stone before I could start this memorial, this meant cutting the corners off. The mandala pattern was an important part of the design and had to be drawn out using geometry first.

I am using the corners to carve images from the memorial to add a connection for the whole family. The first corner, I cut in half to create a pair of bookends and carved the Mandala pattern into. The second corner is waiting to be carved but will be a triangular bowl of Peony flowers to draw the three pieces together. The stone is York Sandstone.

These last three carvings are very different, the Green man is hand carved out of Forest of Dean sandstone and features 3 little mice, the Green man is eyeing them up playing amongst his leaves.

The clock is one of my most requested designs, with the different coloured numbers.

Vine Tree cottage, where I have used the shape of the stone and the vines to create unique house sign, commissioned as a present.

If you would like to discuss a commission for a unique stone carving, please feel free to get in touch via my contact page.

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