A great first day visiting Calfhouse Farm Studios at Bishop Burton where amongst the amazing arty folk we saw were Stonemason Mike Smith, artist Rhona Rowley and jeweller Diane Lee. Why not pay them a visit tomorrow or next weekend? Well signposted off Hull Road from York.
Mike Smith Stonemason
Here is the background to the piece produced, in the photo shown, by the Stone Carver Mike Smith who is a student of Sculptor Peter Brown at the Calf House Studios :-
“Spirit of Kilmartin” By Mike Smith (October 2016)
I first visited Kilmartin when on a family holiday some 15 years ago. I was instantly fascinated by the place and its history. I spent an afternoon sketching some of the stone carvings found in the church yard.
My wife and I have made several trips to the Kilmartin area over the years since and explored some of the ancient sites found in the Glen. On our latest visit to the area, in April this year, we had a chance meeting with Jan Brown while on bird watching walk at Ardfern.
During our chat Jan mentioned the great fund raising effort that was taking place at the museum. Being impressed by this effort I said I would produce a carving inspired by some of the stone craft found at Kilmartin church and the Glen.
Most of the images seen on the front can be found near the church. On the top and right hand side I have produced a series of “Cups and Rings” found on the ancient rocks. One possible theory is that they may have represented the Stars so I have left the original saw cuts as a background to give it an Astral feel.
I also decided to add a Celtic knot design on the left hand side as I like doing them !
The carving is hand crafted, mainly using traditional mallets and chisels, on Lincoln Limestone. All the work was carried out at Calf House Studios, Cold Harbour Farm, Bishop Burton, East Yorkshire, under the careful guidance of Sculptor, Peter Brown.
It weighs in at over 20 kilos and has taken over 65 hours to produce. As you can tell by its relative size and weight it is a very dense stone and a treat to work with. Please take time to note some of the wonderful characteristics of the stone itself (the mystery black dots and the marble-like trails).
If you would like any further information on this piece or any aspect of stone carving (as much as I know of it) please contact me at :-
mike.smith.cot275@gmail.com