Kate’s stone carving classes are great fun. She gives just the right amount of help to push you forwards on your own.
Encourages your ideas. She has a wealth of expertise and is a wonderful person to learn from.
A Look Back at 2022 and Forward to 2023 at The Stone Carving Studio
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...
A Cracking Stone Carvers’ Day Out
We certainly know how to cram a lot into a day out at the Stone Carving Studio. We had a wonderful time recently, first at the beautiful gardens and sculpture park, ROCHE COURT. Then onto the awe inspiring, mystical and magical STONEHENGE. Roche Court is a well kept...
Which Stones are used for Stone Carving?
Can I Carve any stone? I often get asked "can I carve the stone I find in my garden?" The answer to this is usually "no" I am sorry to say. The stone used for carving is quarried from very special seams of stone that has a clean consistency and will be reliable....
Find Your Creativity
Creativity is a gift we can all enjoy. Some are more creative than others, some have more talent than others, but if we explore ourselves and open our hearts, we all, every single one of us, have creativity within. Finding an outlet to express that creativity can be...
A Busy Year
It’s been a busy year as ever at the Stone Carving Studio. We’ve had some incredible work come out of the workshop, and it couldn’t be more varied. Here are just a few of the wonderful pieces made by students. It never ceases to amaze me the quality and imagination of...
Wells Cathedral
A large group of stone carvers met up at Wells Cathedral for a talk with Derek Carr and Laurence Kelland about the restoration of the West Front in the 1980’s, a project they were both involved with. Derek carved many of the replacement sculptures and Laurence...
Anthony Gormley, Christmas and Holland
Coming up... There’s a lot planned for the next few months. A trip to the Anthony Gormley exhibition at the Royal Academy on the cards for November. There will, of course, be the annual Christmas knees up at a restaurant. We’re hoping to go to the sculpture...
Fancy a Holiday?
The Old Kennels Craft courses in the Blackdown Hills Each year I am lucky enough to run a 2 day course at the in The Old Kennels Dunkeswell in Devon. Tracey, who runs the courses at her beautiful home, works hard to make her venue feel warm and welcoming, and she...
John Parsons Chisels, Messums and Wardour
At the beginning of July we met at John Parsons in the rolling Chalk Valley in rural Wiltshire. John makes stone carving chisels by hand, and sells them across the world. He spent 25 years as a stonemason at Salisbury Cathedral before deciding to...
Avebury to McMarmilloyds Yard
As well as working in the studio, Kate and her stone carvers have been out and about on some “school trips”. Back in April, when the Beast from the East was hanging round, we had an atmospheric trip to Avebury. Julie, a regular Saturday stone carver, has...
‘STONE & SCRIBE’
Exhibition at Glastonbury Abbey 7th June - 27th September 2014 Kate Semple, along with calligrapher John Rowlands Pritchard, have produced work inspired by this wonderful venue especially for the exhibition. John has referred to the manuscripts of St. Dunstan for his...
Alabaster, Malmesbury, and Frome Festival
Alabaster Weekend After a mammoth drive to Holland and back to buy some Soap Stone, and a trip up to the Midlands to buy some Alabaster and Polyphant, Kate ran her first Alabaster carving weekend in May. Several of her regulars, and a couple of new faces set to...
Warminster School Casting Project
Branching away from her usual stone carving, Kate had the pleasure of planning and running a casting project at Warminster Prep School in April, producing a splendid bench for the school grounds. Every pupil in the school took part, with ages ranging from 4 to 11...