The Stone Carving Studio with Kate Semple

From the Studio

Some wonderful work came out of The Stone Carving studio in 2022, plus we had the highlight of a trip to The Henry Moore Foundation in Hertfordshire.

Over the year there were also lots of interruptions from the dreaded Covid and ill health, so like everyone else, we had our ups and downs in this rather tricky year in the UK.

It never ceases to amaze me, the quality of the work my students manage to achieve, and they all seem to feed off each other’s triumphs. I am lucky enough to have people ranging in age, from those in their teens to those in their late eighties and everything in between, come along to my classes. Everyone contributes something different to the class, which makes them so enriching and enjoyable.

For me, meeting the people who are keen to learn some stone carving skills and watching them develop, plus forming great friendships with them, are the reasons I love my job. Some, I have taught for many years and I have got to know them very well. It is great they have kept stone carving as part of their lives for so long.

Mix in photos of students with work

Henry Moore Foundation Trip

Henry Moore was arguably Britain’s greatest sculptor and most of us have seen his large abstract forms that adorn public spaces.

I have always been a great admirer of his and wanted to visit his house and studios in Much Hadham for a long time, so back in June a group of us set off for an overnight trip. We met up at St.Albans Cathedral on the way, which is a fascinating building, much of it made from stone and brick “repurposed” from the Roman ruin next door! We had a slap up Italian meal in the evening, ready for the main event the next day.

My goodness me, what an incredible experience it was visiting there. His studios, the grounds, his house were all fantastic, and everything was expertly presented and shown off to it’s best. His house was untouched from when he lived there and ram jam filled with beautiful objects and artworks he had collected from all around the world. We all came home with our heads spinning from everything we had seen.

Henry Moore Photos

Exhibition

Our big news at The Stone Carving Studio for 2023 is that we plan to hold an exhibition to celebrate the wonderful work that is made and the wonderful people that make it!

It will be held at the beautiful West Barn in Bradford on Avon on the 17th and 18th of June. Please do come along and have a look at what we all get up to. There will also be demonstrating and the chance to have a go too.