Cat's Eye Carving

On the move

20 July, 2023 – 9:56 am

As you are aware, I have been taking part in events in the South East for the last 2 years.

I am excited to announce that I am taking a shop in Sandwich. I will be having a soft opening on the August bank holiday weekend, when there will be lots of other interesting things taking place across Sandwich.

I will return to the Forest of Dean once a month, and I look forward to catching up with my customers, taking part in events and obviously collecting my raw materials.

The shop I will be in is large enough for me to run courses, for all ages.
I will be connected to the Sandwich Medieval Trust and other historic sites in the area.

On Saturday 15th July I was at Brook rural museum running my have a go at stone carving sessions. On the 16th September, I will be at Murston Heart in North Kent running my popular activities, this time focusing on Medieval graffiti.

I have been working with the Maison Dieu re-awakening project as their stonemason in residence and I will be doing some more events with them too.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.

There’s more exciting news to follow…

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Le Weekend

21 June, 2023 – 12:44 pm

In between my South East Open Studios weeks was the wonderful Le Weekend throughout Sandwich.

The Sandwich Medieval Centre hosts a Medieval encampment on the Quay Green during this time and you are transported back to medieval times.

Axe throwing, knights and archery, medieval puppetry, displays and living history. I was in my trader’s tent outside the medieval centre, working on the grotesque for the Maison Dieu. I spoke to so many interested visitors, explaining about what I do and my project with this historic building.

My Mum helped me and we spoke to about 500 people over the whole weekend. I had my Wyvern carving for the Maison Dieu and children were excited to know that they were some of the first ones to take a rubbing.

My next event is the Staple country Fayre on Sunday 25th June.

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South East Open Studios.

7 June, 2023 – 5:48 pm

I am being hosted for this year’s South East Open Studios by the wonderful Medieval Centre, on the quay in the historic town of Sandwich in Kent.

When I go out and about and take part in events, I don’t tend to take my larger more sculptural pieces with me, but the opportunity to set my studio up temporarily, in this wonderful timber framed building has enabled me to bring my sculptures on the road with me.

I am currently working on the new grotesque for the Maison Dieu and you can come and watch me at work, take a rubbing of the slate carving that I have carved for them or try your hand at stone carving.

I have a wonderful selection of my hand carved words, letters, bookends and smaller stone carvings in a variety of stone, as well of some of my reproductions in Jesmonite all available to buy from me over the next 10 days.

I am inside the Medieval Centre on Thursday and Friday, 8th/9th June. Outside in my trader’s tent for Le Weekend on Sat 10th and Sunday 11th June

I having a couple of days off then back inside for the last 4 days of Open Studios from Wednesday 14th- Saturday 17th June.

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Recent events and new commissions.

1 June, 2023 – 10:29 am

My last couple of commissions were a carving of the Star Tarot card, a commission for a wedding anniversary present.

Hand carved out of French limestone, 14 x 19 inches square, this carving took roughly 120 hours to carve.

House names and numbers are my bread and butter, this next commission started with a rather scruffy piece of stone, the surface needed chiselling back to a clean surface and so I called on my stonemasonry training to square and flatten the surface ready to carve the new house sign. My customers are having this built into their new wall.

Before I left for Kent, I made the drawings and templates for the Grotesque carving for the Maison Dieu commission.

The last two events have been a success, the White Mill in Sandwich was open for National Mills weekend and this was when I started the grotesque carving for the Maison Dieu in Dover.

I set up my display of my stone carvings, letters and words but I was also demonstrating. There was lots of interest in what I was doing.

The next event was in Market square in Dover as part of the Medieval Pilgrim’s trail. I set up outside the Museum, and while I was demonstrating for some of it, I also had a carving of the Maison Dieu Wyvern and lettering for people to take a rubbing from. I had 6 pieces of limestone as well and this was incredibly popular for people, young and old to come and try their hand at stone carving.

My latest commission saw me travelling up to the centre of London, I have been engaged as the stonemason in residence, every year I will go to the hall of the Worshipful Company of Founders to carve into a stone plaque and paint onto a gilded plaque, the name of the out-going master.

I have a busy couple of weeks ahead so I’ll be updating again soon.

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Maison Dieu Grotesque.

9 May, 2023 – 3:17 pm

I am so excited about my Summer of events. I will be demonstrating and selling my stone carvings and sculptures.

The sculpture that I will be carving this year is based on a grotesque from the Stone hall at the Maison Dieu in Dover in Kent.

Last month I was appointed the stonemason in residence for this magnificent and historically significant building.

At all the events that I am taking part in this year I will be carving this beastie. From my sketches and measurements, I have made a scale drawing and subsequent templates, my block of stone is marked up and ready to carve.

My next event is at the White Mill on the 13th/14th May. Come and watch me as I start the incredible journey of this magnificent beastie.

On the 27th May, I will be part of the Pilgrim’s trail though Dover.

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