Cat's Eye Carving

I’m still hard at work

To those of you who have just found me, welcome.
This year I am celebrating 15 yrs in business. It was set to be my best year ever and although these are worrying times for all self employed people, I am keeping myself busy with work around my home and garden as well as working from home carving.
My workshop is at a craft centre between the Forest of Dean and South Wales. It is obviously closed at the moment but I am going there once a week to work on the few commissions that I have left to finish. I do house-names and numbers as well as animal and people portraits, sculptures for your home and garden. During the school holidays I normally run activities and at the moment I have an almost 4 tonne block of Forest of Dean sandstone lying outside my workshop waiting to be stood up so that I can get on with my most prestigious commission, a war memorial for the parish of Mitcheldean and Abenhall. 

I am currently renovating a garden shed, it was grotty, rotten shelves, rat droppings, fresh rat holes and lots of spiders, My boyfriend and I dismantled the shelves with the help of my trusty dremel and a multitude of screwdrivers and my cordless drill driver. Once this was all done I used my workshop hoover to suck away all the cobwebs and years of grim dust. 

When I removed the rotten random pieces of wood that were on the floor I found a quarter of the floor had bricks laid so I decided to finish it with bricks, initially I was going to lay concrete  but we’re in lock-down I can’t get concrete for a home project.

Popped to my studio and carved a house number on a piece of Welsh slate, painted the house sign that I carved last week and brought some more supplies home to kit out my home working shed. (I was on my own and it’s only up the road)
The good thing about being a stonemason is that I have things like lime and stone dust, I also have a partially gone off bag of ciment fondue-it’s no use for what I bought it for but I can use it for the rat holes. I have a wall to re-point where the shed is built up against the old brick privy. The rats have dug deep holes in one corner so I’m going to fill that with rubble from previous carvings and then put the ciment fondue down there. 

I had been taming the brambles and Ivy last week and found a cache of bricks so I dug these out. There were lots of full bricks and lots of half bricks, it was apparent that there wouldn’t be enough whole bricks so what I had went in the middle of the floor. Goodness me that is hard work, I did dig the floor to try and level it but my back really isn’t up for digging so although the floor will be flat, it won’t be level.

My shed is coming on really nicely. From a spider infested, rat holes floor and rotten shelves it now has a brick floor. Just got to put the 2nd coat of paint on, re-point some of the joints in the brick wall and lime-wash it.

I have also been carving a Hare out of a piece of French limestone, this is the carving that has featured on my Youtube channel. I’m going to finish this carving today and my next project will be a face of a woman with a side plait in a piece of Tetbury limestone.

If you would like to purchase anything I will be uploading more pictures of what I have available to buy from my shop, I can take credit card payments over the phone and post your purchase out to you. Obviously this is within reason.

I also have a stock of stone in my workshop so if you would like to commission anything please get in touch. I am still working and with my home-working shed almost finished it will be even easier to get on with my work.

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These Welsh slate house signs are in the process of being painted and eventually gilded. I also use Forest of dean Sandstone and Cornish slate.

Stay safe everyone and thank you for reading.

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The sun is shining.

If you would like to discuss a commission for anything this can be done over the phone via email and even skype if necessary.

At the moment I don’t have a waiting list but there is roughly a 2 week turnaround. I do have a small selection of sandstone and slate in my studio for house names and numbers and some larger blocks if you would like something in particular for you home or garden.

Posted in Carrie's News | 2 Comments »

Cat’s Eye Carving is on YouTube

I have decided to set up a YouTube channel, here you can keep up to date with what I am working on in my studio.

Even though you can’t visit me in person you can still watch the progress of a commission, carvings for my shop and when I start it the War memorial.

I will keep you updated with everything I do, if you want me to send you pictures of what I have in my shop, you can pay over the phone and I can post things to you.

Please take care.

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War memorial

The stone has arrived and I am currently waiting for the gantry crane to be swapped over as the stone is heavier than was planned for. I am indebted to Reid Lifting, they are being so helpful by providing me with the equipment that I need for free and for the duration of the project.

Once the stone is upright then I can draw out the design and make a start, that all sounds very straightforward but it will take me roughly a week. There are 8 more names to add to the 1st world war side and 2 on the 2nd world war side. For the 1st world war carving this does involve a slight redraw to ensure that the names fit comfortably on the stone, I will do this once the stone is upright as the face is very random, so I need to design it around the irregularities.

As long as I can start the carving by the beginning of April I will still complete it in time for the unveiling on the 15th October.

I am located in a craft centre and I have taken the decision to close my doors to the public until further notice. I will be in my studio working as normal. Once the stone is upright I will be working outside anyway but due to the time element I will have to restrict questions by any visitors to on the hour during my stretch break. There are a few people collecting commissions so this will not change unless they decide to wait. 

This is an interesting and difficult time for everyone but if you would like to discuss a commission you can phone or email me.

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Carrie Horwood, a stone carver in Gloucestershire.

I thought it was time for an update. I would like to welcome new readers and thank those of you who have been with me for over the last 15 yrs.

I registered and started my business in November 2005 but started renting my own space in that March.

Since then I have carved many interesting commissions and unique sculptures that now adorn people’s homes and gardens. My business model has changed and grown to stay on top of the changing and often uncertain economy.

When I moved to Taurus crafts 9 years ago I couldn’t have known that this year would see me carving a War Memorial for Mitcheldean and Abenhall. I started my business just down the road from there at Harts Barn.

The War Memorial is a crowning achievement for me. Just 6 months into my apprenticeship March 2000, I suffered a career ending injury to my hand and suffered with repeated back problems as a result of the time I had to have off. I did complete my apprenticeship but missed almost a year of my training and I have spent the last 15 years trying to fill gaps in my skills and grow my business.

My injury was one of the reasons that I set up Cat’s Eye Carving  as I didn’t want to give up what I loved to do and here I am one of the foremost stone carvers in Gloucestershire. Blazing a trail for women as a stonemason and an entrepreneur.

I diversified into running activities for children and adults alike, mainly through the school holidays and I love to go out to groups, clubs and schools to give talks about what I do and what I am working on. I have also developed my own designs in jewellery using sterling silver and Welsh slate.

I think the highlights so far have been carving and installing the heraldry at Penhow castle in South Wales, My Brown Bear eating a Salmon and of course my sculpture memorial that was installed at Highgate Cemetery in London 4 years ago.
There have been many other wonderful commissions and of course my sculptures that I create and carve that I sell from my shop here at Taurus Crafts that many people have bought and continue to buy.
Oh and of course organising and running 5 successful stonemasons festivals that have benefited numerous charities and buildings.
In recognition of my charity work I was given the title of Yeoman Mason and became a member of the historic livery company The Worshipful Company of Masons.

There are lost of photos on my gallery if you would like to check out some of my past work, it’s not all on there. I don’t think there’s enough room for all the images.

The House signs that I have carved must range into the 1000’s and these have always been and will continue to be a staple of my small business. I have started to develop my own calligraphy style and I am recognised for my loopy swirly letters and sculptures.

One of the ways I have been rebuilding and maintaining my strength are swimming challenges, I have just started my 2nd one for DiabetesUK and I aim to raise £500. if you can spare £5, you can follow my progress and there is a donation button on my Swim22 page and any amount will be gratefully received.

As I mentioned earlier, I am starting a brand new war memorial this month, an exciting and daunting task. One that is making me so proud as I am creating something that will help people to remember those who gave their lives so that we can be free.

Reid Lifting in Chepstow are very generously lending me a gantry crane for the duration of the project, this should hopefully be arriving at the end of this week. The stone is coming from Barnhill Quarry which is owned by Forest of Dean Stone Firms. Once everything is in place I will need to do a redraw of the layout of the design as some more names have come to light and it is so important that everything is right before I put chisel to stone. I expect to start the carving towards the end of March as there is a parish council meeting on the 9th to sign off the final details.

If you think you can spare a few pounds to help with the fundraising for the war memorial please could you get in touch via email to; clerk@mitcheldeancouncil.co.uk

I will write a separate post thanking the sponsors once I have all the details.

Posted in Carrie's News, War memorial | 2 Comments »