Bit of a busmans holiday for me this weekend. I spent saturday and sunday knocking plaster off a bedroom wall with a hammer and chisel. Same process – rather different outcome – sadly just as tiring. Before starting that, I enjoyed watching the “Master Craftsmen” TV programme on friday night with Monty Don, I must confess to not being his greatest fan though after he blanked me at Hampton Court Palace Flower show a few years back. I always like to guess at the start of shows like this who will make a good fist of it. The 1st week (thatching) seemed obvious as the big fella won but the last couple of weeks have been a bit trickier, probably because they have had to be creative as well as skillful and not necessarilly too strong. When I run stone carving weekends, I am often surprised at who makes the best work. I find that, especially on a short 2 day course, the more “reckless” carvers rather than the careful ones triumph. For beginners, it is far better to “get stuck in” than to be timid. Often when I work in schools, it is the usually disruptive or rowdy kids who make the fastest progress. There is a time to be careful but your 1st day of stone carving is’nt it. I am looking
Avoided eye contact - Monty Don
forward to the Stone Carving episode of “Master Craftsmen” in a couple of weeks time.
Meanwhile, if you fancy a go, I still have spaces available on my May stone carving course and more deatils are available on www.chisel-it.co.uk or on www. artsbowl.com