Blog
New Wings
The young Barn Owls spend vast amounts of time preening, stretching and opening their wings to flap in mock flight. It is all about building up strength and confidence – I see them using their wings for balance while running, begging for food and for fending off over-eager siblings. They’re now very protective of […]
Owl Infants
My workshop at present is a real mess. I don’t just mean the usual dust and stone chips – it is splattered with Owlet poo and littered with their pellets. The Barn Owls nested in my new box and raised three chicks. They’ve been out of the nest for about a month now but […]
Long Bird
The other day I watched a bird fly towards the old Sycamore tree at my workshop (I was sitting under it a the time) and land on one of the thick, gnarled branches. I shuffled my position to get a better look and it then seemed to spread out and put its neck and […]
Goldcrest bird sculpture amid Wisteria
Goldcrests carved in Yorkstone with gilded crown in pure gold leaf. The fragrance of the Wisteria floats in through the open back door. It has grown vigorously this last week and is now laden with the purple shades of its spring flowers – so beautiful, and today resplendent in the sunshine. I couldn’t resist […]
Bird perched on a tree stump
A bird sculpture for a garden stream. A bird perched on a tree stump, leaning over, eyes fixed intently on the water below, ready for action – to dive – or fly rapidly up river to the next branch. Carved from a single block of Howley Park Sandstone.
Pikorua sculpture for New Zealand Garden
This weekend was the re-opening celebration of the New Zealand Garden in Valley Gardens, Harrogate and unveiling of the garden’s new sculpture. The New Zealand Garden has undergone a refurbishment, part of which was to include my Yorkstone carving. The sculpture, a commission through Harrogate International Partnerships, is a Pikorua, a Maori symbol representing […]
The Water Vole Book
Yesterday I received a copy of The Water Vole Book by Hugh Warwick. It is part of a series of nature books edited by Jane Russ and published by Graffeg in Llanelli, Wales. Graffeg very kindly sent it to me as the beginning of the chapter about this little mammal in Myths, Art and […]
Waxwing
Waxwings are seen from October to March, over-wintering here before heading back to Scandinavia to breed in the northern forests. Often they gather in large flocks, feeding in berry-laden trees and bushes. They’re known for their soft, silky plumage and remarkable colouring – the red tips to the wings (which, it is said, look […]
Cynibil
There were four brothers Cedd, Chad, Cynibil and Caelin. All were tutored by St Aiden in Lindisfarne to help in transforming the 7th Century Celts and Anglo Saxons from Pagans to Christians. The brothers founded an Abbey in the North York Moors, the land donated to them in 654 at Lastingham. However the area […]
Flowers from the Zechstein Sea
Some 250 million years ago the Cadeby stone I’ve carved these flowers in, was being formed in the shallow tropical Zechstein sea. Now this Magnesian Limestone is only found in a few places in the North East of England. Where outcrops exist and have been subject to many decades of weathering the area has […]