Technique

I am often asked what it takes to be a stone carver, and my usual reply is; "The Three T's - Tools, Training, and Technique". Of course, a high tolerance for noise, not to mention stone dust, is a prerequisite, but the most important element is that I love what I do. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't good at stone carving - it felt natural to me that first day at Bath College, it feels instinctively right whenever I pick up my tools. I feel lucky indeed to have found 'my proper groove' as the old saying goes, and that the work I produce today will last, if not the 150 million years it took to form, then perhaps several millennia after my time on earth is through.

As a professional architectural stone carver I find that natural stone, particularly limestone, is an amazingly versatile material that can be carved into almost any shape imaginable by a skilled carver. Each fireplace, doorway, window or ornamental detail can be individually designed to suit practically any style, form or function. I work from photographs, sketches or blueprints. The variety and scope of the work I do is practically limitless.

I work primarily in limestone for both its beauty and for its superb carving capabilities, it 'takes an edge' like no other material, and can be polished to a smooth luster, or left rough and natural leaving a hint to it's unlikely origins.

The only thing that looks and feels like real stone, is real stone. 'Real stone' was formed over countless millions of years, it contains within it and on it's surface a wealth of fossilized shells, beautiful swirls and patterns, resulting from shifts in the earth's tectonic plates; hues and colors that infuse subtle variations throughout the finished piece.

It often comes as somewhat of a surprise to people that "hand carved" stonework can be worked with such precision. My work is consistently competitive with and often quite significantly less in dollar terms than that produced by expensive 'state of the art' imported machinery.

My edges are sharp, my corners square. My attention to detail ensures that each piece I produce is correct in every aspect - I am my own quality control. I am aided by a wide range of 'Electrical Kit' (as we say in the trade) that makes short work of removing stone and 'getting to the line'. The days of chip-chip-chipping at a block of stone are long gone.

Each piece I carve bears my 'Mason's Mark'. This may not mean much to most people but it is a tradition dating back to the very beginning of masonry. When I tap my mark on the back of a piece of masonry it means I have checked every aspect of the stone and that it is ready to be 'fixed' into place. My reputation as an architectural stone carver depends upon the integrity of that mark. If you want the best that architectural masonry has to offer you owe it to yourself to see just what I can offer you.