Blog
Traditional stuff
13th September 2018
I have always enjoyed walking around cities and towns, looking up at the often excellent standard of carving and lettering found on our older buildings. It disappoints me at how little this is appreciated, or often even noticed. Even more so nowadays, with people so often glued to their devices. It becomes even more impressive when you are asked to reproduce something on similar lines and add to this heritage of traditional stonework.
'Night Sky, Clouds across the Moon'
22nd June 2018
There is nothing like an exhibition deadline to focus the mind and get those pieces finished. This is one of a number of new pieces for an exhibition at Whitewater Gallery in Polzeath in July and August. This will feature paintings by Suki Wapshott, porcelain by Hugh West and a selection of my recent sculpture. Expect abstracts, animals, bees and flowers, all created from and celebrating the rich geology of the British Isles
Catching Butterflies
25th January 2018
Stone is such heavy inanimate stuff that it might not seem a suitable material for such an ephemeral subject as a Red Admiral butterfly, but with stone carving, it is all about the material.
Cold blooded and spineless
8th August 2015
In July Pete completed a series of four insect relief carvings which were installed along the Pennine way around Low Force waterfall in Teesdale. They are carved out of the local black Weardale limestone, a very hard stone which polishes to a deep black and gives excellent variation in colour.
Alabaster, blue elvan and a trip to the Brecon Beacons
8th July 2014
Pete has been continuing with an avian theme in his carvings and recently completed a wren in alabaster. The wren sits on a stand made from blue elvan which brings an abstract element to the piece and creates a striking contrast of colours and textures. The wren was bought by a couple from Wales who returned for a second B&B stay with us this spring, giving us the opportunity of a trip to the Brecon Beacons to deliver the carving and enjoy their excellent hospitality.
Legendary Dartmoor in stone
3rd February 2014
Steve is Dartmoor born and bred and has a great love for the moors where he runs and walks his dogs regularly. Having worked all his life in the family garden machinery firm, he is making time to explore his lifelong creative and artistic interests.
Press and awards for Koeschi
8th December 2013
Koeschi is the Stone Carving Workshop’s base, an amazing eco-house that we are privileged to rent from our family. A visit to the Stone Carving Workshop comes with the added perk of getting to look round the house and enjoy lunch under the clerestory windows of the dining room.
A trip to Shakespeare's county, the stone merchant and home via Bristol
4th August 2013
In July we packed up a hire van and headed up the M5 to Ragley Hall in Warwickshire and set up a temporary gallery at the CLA Game Fair, which hosts one of the biggest annual gatherings of animal and wildlife artists. Pete’s carvings were displayed on white plinths against a black backdrop, with the lion, crow, bittern and jack russell taking centre stage
Good Cornwall Guide
25th February 2013
Melodie Manners from the Good Cornwall Guide spent a day with us earlier in February and made a very nice carving of her initials using two different letter forms. Thanks Melodie for your write up, it was a pleasure having your company for the day. (And good luck for the marathon!)
Carving at the Mushroom Works 26th & 27th Jan '13
29th January 2013
Thanks once again to Nick James at the Mushroom Works in Newcastle for organising a successful weekend of carving courses. The weather was a bit snowy up there in the North East, but everyone made it to the venue and there was some really excellent work.
An important arrival
14th January 2013
Pete went up to Portland in Dorset last week to collect a piece of stone that will become the lion carving. There’s a photo of the clay model for the lion on our facebook page. It will be quite a large piece, and is going to be on show at the Delamore Arts outdoor sculpture show in May.
Studio Golondrina in Spain
8th January 2013
We have recently been in contact with sculptor Jon Sait who has set up a stone carving studio in north east Spain. It looks and sounds marvellous.
Work in progress
2nd January 2013
Pete has recently completed a carving of a crow in Cornish Schorl, which is black tourmaline sometimes found alongside granite in the county. He has also made a clay model for a large carving of a lion’s head which will be carved in Portland stone for the outdoor exhibition at Delamore Arts in Devon this May.
Luxullianite!
4th September 2012
Not every small Cornish village has its own unique type of granite named after it. Luxulyan is the other village in our parish of Lanlivery and is the only place in the world where you can find Luxullianite.
Carving for the National Trust at Calke Abbey
5th June 2012
Pete’s most recent completed commission is a series of six relief carvings and a lettering piece for the National Trust at Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. There is a gallery of the carvings on Pete’s website here. More about the project and this fascinating place soon!
