Relief Carving inspired by Nature
Two-Day Course
Spend two days creating a beautiful relief stone carving using plants and nature as inspiration. This course will develop your creativity as well as your craft skills to produce a flowing organic design with overlapping layers. The course will include an introduction to Purbeck stone, and to the beds most suitable for carving.
Bring your own design or work from our reference patterns and templates. You can expect a good balance of theory and practical skills, all in a creative and supportive atmosphere with a master crafts-person.
Please note this course does not include letter cutting.
What will I achieve?
- You will make a multi layered relief carving in stone, using nature as your inspiration.
- You will gain confidence and enhance your stone carving skills using a range of hand tools.
- You’ll create your own stone carving to take home.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
Students would benefit from having completed a Burngate ‘Have a Go’ Stone Carving session or similar, but the course is also suitable for beginners with an interest in art or who are used to working with their hands. Learners will need to be comfortable using a light hammer and chisel for longer periods.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This is a practical, hands-on class with a supportive, friendly atmosphere. You will build your skills in the craft of stone carving over two full days and create an expressive design in stone, using nature as an inspiration. You’ll use hand tools to carve a multi-layered relief with overlapping shapes, patterns and textures. Topics will include designing a relief, using a flat chisel to set out your design, creating the illusion of depth, making textures with a claw chisel and using a riffler to smooth your design and add detail.
You are welcome to bring along nature images or design sketches for a tablet of stone 20 x 30cm. Your Tutor will discuss the suitability of these and help you to ensure they are practical for carving. Patterns and design inspirations will be available for anyone who needs an idea. Stonecarving is easiest done standing up but a stool can be provided for anyone who would find this tiring.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to prepare in advance or bring?
Stone, tools, and safety equipment will be provided. Please wear old clothes and stout shoes or boots which cover your toes and protect your feet. You don’t have to prepare anything in advance or between sessions, but if you would like to you can prepare a design for a square slab of stone 20 x 30cm. Please bring a packed lunch with you. The course fee includes complimentary teas, coffees and biscuits.
| COST | Adults £200 Children (12+) £150 |
| CAPACITY | Maximum 8 people |
| DURATION | Two Days (10am-4pm each day with a half-hour lunch break) |
| LEVEL | Beginner/intermediate |
| SUITABLE FOR | Adults and children aged 12+ accompanied by a participating adult |
Your Tutor
Amanda Randall
Carving | Sculpture
Amanda makes abstract stone sculptures inspired by plants and fungi. She loves carving in the company of others and celebrates nature, community and care for the environment through her work. She is a qualified teacher, has taught on an Art Foundation course, and has years of experience teaching children and adults from beginners to university level. Amanda has an honours degree in Fine Art – Sculpture and a Masters in Art and Architecture and is a passionate advocate of the benefits of art and making for wellbeing.
Amanda recently received Arts Council funding to support her development of teaching on-site/mobile stone carving. She has completed numerous public art commissions including large carvings for the Forestry Commission, carved stone musical instruments for a city square in Southampton and sculptures celebrating the local distinctiveness of villages in Kent. She has recently completed a sculpture and drawing project celebrating biodiversity in ancient woodlands.
Jonathan Sells
Carving | Sculpture
Jonathan Sells is a professional stone carver and mason who studied architectural carving and stone masonry at Weymouth College, Dorset, where he trained with Portland stone masons.
As a sculptor and artist he is self-taught. His over thirty-five years experience has enabled him to work successfully with architects, public bodies and individual members of the public to create unique and inspiring pieces of artwork.
Jonathan has extensive experience of teaching stone carving to members of the public across a wide range of sectors and age groups, including schools, hospitals and businesses.
As an international sculptor, he works from his studio based in Purbeck, Dorset, where he happily undertakes selected hand carved stonework commissions including fireplaces, garden furniture, water features, birdbaths, functional artefacts for inside and out, wedding and birth gifts, letter cutting and restoration work.
Sarah Moore
CARVING | SCULPTRE
Sarah Moore is a painter and sculptor working mainly with Purbeck stone, but also other stones as well as marble and alabaster. She attended Weymouth College masonry and architectural carving and letter-cutting course after completing a ceramics degree.
Her work is mainly based on the human form and her early career as a radiographer gives her an understanding of the structure of the human body which has continued to inform her work through her drawings of dancers and musicians some of which will be translated into carvings in stone, either representational or abstract.
Sarah is a qualified teacher and has taught ceramics, stone carving and wood carving in further and higher education as well as teaching on painting and stone carving holidays in the wonderfully inspiring landscape of southern Italy.
She has work in public and private collections.
She likes to encourage children and young people to carve stone, it helps them to concentrate and gives them a great sense of achievement. Sarah is studying an MA course in fine art.
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