Cat's Eye Carving

Maison Dieu, Dover.

14 April, 2023 – 10:41 am

I am excited to announce that I am now the stonemason in residence for the Maison Dieu in Dover.

I have been commissioned to carve this wonderful creature from the stone hall in the building. While he is a C19th carving it was inspired by medieval creatures.

Currently the building is undergoing a major restoration project and should re-open to the public next year.

It started life as a pilgrim’s hospital, housing weary travellers from Europe on the way to Canterbury and Thomas Becket’s tomb. Henry VIII used it as a Victualling warehouse to store food and drink for his navy and it was a courthouse and jail in the C19th. From 1830 it served as Dover’s town hall. For a more detailed history please visit their website

This year’s events proves to be an exciting and interesting schedule. At all the events where I am demonstrating, I will be carving the beastie, you can come along and have a look. watch my progress and find out more about this fascinating building. Please visit my events page to find out where I will be this year. Obviously I will be posting regular updates on here and my Facebook, Instagram and YouTube pages.

On the 27th May, there will be a Pilgrim’s trail through Dover and you can stop off in the newly re-furbished market square. It’s right next to the Museum so you could pop in there and have a look at the history of the area.

I will be demonstrating at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00 and 15:00 for 20 minutes and then you can have a go at stone masonry, I will be carving the Maison Dieu logo in a piece of Welsh slate so that the youngsters can make a rubbing.

The have a go at stone carving will be 10 minute sessions and these will be bookable sessions, please get in touch with the Maison Dieu for more information.

Posted in Carrie's News | 2 Comments »

Exciting new commission.

12 April, 2023 – 5:23 pm

I am excited to announce that I have been appointed the letter carver at The Worshipful Company of Founders. Near Smithfield Market in central London, it is one of the oldest livery companies, with history as far back as 1365.

This is a lifetime job, one or two days a year, depending on the length of the name.

Every year a new master is elected. It will be my job to paint the name of the outgoing master on a gilded background underneath their decorative shield. Historically, these shields would have been the family crest but obviously in modern times the Masters are normal people and so their shield reflect their job or something that enjoy doing. I will also carve this name into a stone plaque on the wall in the reception area.

Originally this livery company was established to ensure the quality of the metal in such things as candle sticks, buckles, straps etc, fairness within the foundries between master and apprentice and obviously fine anyone for working when they shouldn’t or using sub-standard materials. They were responsible for charitable activities as well which is a thread through to their modern charitable foundation.

I will be going up at the end of May to carry out this work and will obviously post photos when I have carried out my work.

Posted in Carrie's News | No Comments »

Summer events.

27 February, 2023 – 9:06 am

This year, I have a full schedule of events.

In order to spend time with my family I chose to start doing events in my home county, being self-employed means that I can’t just shut, so I take my business on the road.

My year starts with a 4 day market in the beautiful St Mary’s Art Centre in Sandwich. This will be open over the Easter weekend, 7th,8th,9th and 10th April.

April 29th, 30th & 1st May, Ash Church Art exhibition, TBC

Then comes National Mills Weekend 13th/14th May, at the White Mill in Sandwich, I will be demonstrating and giving you the opportunity to come and have a go at stone carving.

I have an exciting new venue for the 27th May, I have been invited to demonstrate and give you the opportunity to come and have a go at stone carving as part of the Pilgrim’s Trail, you explore the Medieval sites in Dover and end up at the Maison Dieu, where you will find me. The Maison Dieu in it’s original form was a stopover point for pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. it later became a victualling warehouse for Henry VIII’s navy and then a town gaol and courthouse. The building is currently undergoing restoration and I am looking forward to getting involved in it’s future.

3rd June, Eastry Community fun day, TBC.

I love taking part in events hosted by the Sandwich Medieval Trust and this year is no exception. Not only will I be setting up in my Trader’s tent again.

But I will also be working inside the centre as part of the South East Open studios. 5th-9th June inside the centre, then outside for Le Weekend Medieval encampment 10th/11th June, then back inside from the 14th -17th June. 10am-4pm.

These photos were taken in October 2022 when I spent 4 days with the centre, demonstrating and letting people come and have a go. That’s Steve the blacksmith, making me some chisels.

My next event is the Staple Country Fayre, my home village. I will be demonstrating and selling some of my hand carved creations.

There’s also the August Bank Holiday weekend at the Sandwich medieval centre when I will be back in my trader’s tent, what comes after this has yet to be discovered.

I look forward to seeing you at one or all of these exciting events.

Posted in Carrie's News | 2 Comments »

Why am I Cat’s Eye Carving?

17 January, 2023 – 10:03 am

When I moved to Gloucestershire to take up my apprenticeship at Gloucester Cathedral, I was asked to design a stonemason’s mark. This mark now appears on everything I carve and it can be found on all the pieces that I carved for Gloucester Cathedral.

A little over 30 years ago I was studying sculpture as one of my A-level subjects at Sir Roger Manwood’s school in Sandwich, Kent.

I grew up on a farm and we had 4 cats at that time, I loved ancient Egypt and school trips took us to London regularly and I visited the British Museum to draw and study the Egyptian cats.

This inspired my A-level exam piece, I made fake papyrus by staining and marking water colour paper and then writing my essay on there, I tried to understand Hieroglyphs by visiting Sandwich library.

I am not sure whether any of this has survived as it’s in a portfolio with some of my other artwork in a collapsed shed on My Mum and Dad’s Farm.

The sculptural side of my final piece was a collection of cats, sculpted in different ways, the first one was out of modroc, over a wire frame and muddied up with clay. I wanted it to look like a mummified cat. This first cat is trying to get back through the mirror to Egypt but there is another cat coming out of the mirror to attack it. I removed some of the silvering in the form of triangles from the back of the mirror and painted scenes from Egypt. The cat coming out of the mirror was carved out of plaster of Paris, with Rose thorns for it’s teeth and claws. I used to sit in my Physics class with a plastic ice-cream tub on my lap carving with a scalpel because I didn’t want to do anything else.

The Eye on my mummified cat in the first picture is where my Cat’s Eye comes from for my Stonemason’s mark.

The second cat was walking across a mirror with ancient pyramids and sand attached to the surface, to give the impression that it was walking across the desert, I sculpted and carved the cat out of plaster and then treated her with a gold finish.

The final cat was in a pyramid that I made out of old denim that I sewed together, I painted a cat on this and attached it to bamboo canes, in the middle of this was a cat that I sculpted out of wax onto a bottle. This stood in the middle. I eventually cut the denim down and used the bamboo in the garden so I only have a photo of the cut out cat.

This exhibition along with all the other art students took place in St Peter’s Church in the heart of Sandwich. During the Summer of 2021, I took part in the Folk and Ale festival in Sandwich and I explained this to my boyfriend Ed, after he had heard my story, he pointed out that this is where Cat’s Eye Carving was born.

I am really proud to say that I was commissioned to carve a lintel piece for a house on the High Street in Sandwich in Kent, so my stonemason’s mark has come home.

Posted in Carrie's News | No Comments »

Reproductions

13 January, 2023 – 10:55 am

Some of the creations that I make to sell are reproductions of my clay models and stone/plaster carvings.

This one is a copy of a Medieval Angel found in a Church in Gloucester. St Mary De Crypt in Southgate Street in Gloucester.

Once I had some photos, I could sculpt a clay model of the Angel and add the missing parts, once the cast comes out of the mould, then I can add the detail to the fingers.

…then pour the silicone to make the mould.

It takes 24hours for the mould to cure, then I can start to cast my reproductions. I mix jesmonite with the sieved stone dust that I save from my stone carvings. Jesmonite is an invention from the 80’s that was developed as a non-toxic replacement for the resin used in fibreglass.

Each cast is slightly different as I finish them off by hand by carving the hands with a scalpel.

They are only available to buy from the St Mary De Crypt Church shop and a proportion of the sale goes back to the Church funds.

Posted in Carrie's News | No Comments »