Cat's Eye Carving

Moving

9 August, 2023 – 5:40 pm

I have moved my business to Sandwich in Kent.

As you will know from previous posts, I have been spending a great deal of time in my home county.

This Summer I have taken part in some wonderful events and my commission list is growing.

I am the stonemason in residence for the Maison Dieu in Dover, I work with the Sandwich Medieval Trust and I have started running stone carving activities for heritage sites.

Just last month, I was offered a wonderful shop in the centre of Sandwich. In just that short time, I have packed up my studio at Taurus Crafts, it is the end of an era, but the start of something new and exciting.

My new address is;

24 Market Street, Sandwich. Kent. CT13 9DA.

I have a space for a gallery, a drawing area, running my popular activities, a work-room and space for visiting crafts men and women to run courses in other interesting subjects.

I have some exciting plans in the works but I need to settle in first.

I will be open from Thursday to Sunday, and by appointment on the other days, this will allow me to get on with my commissions and new pieces for my gallery.

I will also be inviting local artists to exhibit and sell their work.

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The Maison Dieu Beastie.

21 July, 2023 – 10:00 am

What a wonderful Summer of events and throughout them all I have been carving a Grotesque inspired by one from the stone hall of Dover’s historic Maison Dieu.

I was demonstrating stone carving by working on the beastie and my last two events were;

Staple Country Fayre at the end of June.

And Sir Roger Manwood’s Open day. I didn’t have much time to work on my beastie but I did have some very interested children trying their hand at stone carving and making a rubbing of my Wyvern carving.

It was lovely to talk to people about the Maison Dieu commission but also show them how I carve my grotesque, using the various chisels, drawings and templates.

I completed my carving in my workshop and it was very exciting to be able to officially unveil him in St Mary’s Church in Dover, after an imaginative time travelling adventure, led by a character inspired by a Grotesque from the Maison Dieu. The play was put on by the Dover Youth Theatre, some wonderful characters made more fun by the children playing them.

My carving will become part of the Museum’s handling objects when they re-open to the public.

It was lovely to give people the opportunity to touch him, feel the chisel marks and ask me questions.

Finally a photo of me and my grotesque with the Mayor of Dover, Sue Jones and Chairman of Dover Town Council, Gordon Cowan.

Please click here to read the press release.

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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.