Cat's Eye Carving

Backyard stone carving festival. Lock down.

This really is a strange time for us all but one of my stonemason friends thought it would be a good idea to hold a socially distanced stonemason’s festival.

I have been working out of my garden with my makeshift easel for letter cutting, one of my benches from my workshop and a growing pile of stone at various stages of carving. 

This one is what I have been working on, in between the  letter cutting, painting and gilding but these jobs are on hold for a few days so I can take part in this festival. 

How I feel sometimes during this global crisis.

There were two themes, I chose ‘nature takes over’. My idea is the planet suspended in amongst plants, leaves and flowers, maybe even a butterfly, I have several types to choose from fluttering around my garden.

I have made a few sketches and I have some beautiful climbing plants ready to burst into flower for my inspiration.

The stone is a piece if Tetbury limestone with fossils and calcite veins but it is solid, dense and hard so it will hold detail quite well.

Here’s the starting process from today.