Cat's Eye Carving

Re-pointing.

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.

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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Jesmonite casts.

I have been playing with the pigments for my lastest jesmonite casts. For my Hengist and Horsa bookends, I have used a black pigment and for the others I have been experimenting with slate dust.

My latest jesmonite clocks with different colours, small but unique. £18-£25.

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New jewellery.

I am designing and creating some more of my unique jewellery.

These earrings have been made using Welsh slate, glass beads and sterling silver wire. I make all the fixings and hooks so they can be made to a size that suits you.

My pendants are made using Welsh slate and sterling silver.

I can make the thong out of leather or waxed cotton to any length you would like, on a sliding knot, with a magnetic, lobster or screw fixing, these findings are not silver.

As you wear my unique jewellery, it absorbs your skins natural oils and darkens, this ultimately connects each piece to you.

I welcome commissions, so please feel free to get in touch.

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What’s new in my workshop?

I have been busy working through my commission schedule, the Green Man is hand carved out of tetbury limestone and represents about 40 hours work.

House signs are my bread and butter and it’s always fun to use colours creatively and add motifs, the tw numbers are hand carved out of Welsh slate, the Number 3 has 3 different greens, gradually dark to light and the 24, cut it into a circle with the addition of the daffodil.

The Bookends and Shelvin Farm house are the next two on my list and thankfully the weather is cooler so I can feel comfortable in my dust mask.

I have some interesting conservation work to get on with before the frosts start, I am doing some re-pointing using lime mortar, this is the foundation of my training as a stonemason and when done properly not only looks beautiful but can protect homes from damp and erosion. Cement traps the water and doesn’t allow the bricks or stone to breathe.

In this instance, I was pointing the empty joints, the next stage of this job is to cut out cement and some dead bricks, ready to re-point with the lime mortar.

I have another day on this part of the job, I will be starting the next part next Spring, this type of work can’t be carried out once the frosts have started.

Please feel free to get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote on all aspects of stonemasonry, conservation, stone carving and letter carving.

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