Initial contact can be made by email or by phone. I am happy to have visitors or to travel to discuss things in person.
You may have a clear idea of what you would like, in which case I will work closely to your brief. Or you might prefer to start from a simple theme, working together to create a personal design.
Care and sensitivity is given to both the purpose of the piece and to its location. The type of stone selected for a piece will be determined by the design and your requirements. Every job is different, a one-off original designed just for you.
It’s helpful to discuss the financial framework at an early stage as the costs are directly related to the amount of work involved to create the piece, as is the size and type of material used.
Contact me“Fiona came to see me and the garden in the summer. She brought with her some samples of stones and slate, listened to my outline wishes, the budget, and looked at where in the garden a stone or stones would be best placed.
After agreeing on the particular stone to use and discussion of how I would choose some words for it Fiona went away and produced some suggestions for me to consider. I was clear that I did not want to be too prescriptive and that I wished the final results to be more about a piece of art to enhance the garden and be of pleasure to the observer than something that was purely commemorative.
Fiona’s suggestions were so good that I decided to commission both ideas - the result is, I think, more than the sum of their parts. This was about the way the stones are and their interrelationship, I think. The next step was to choose words for the stones and this is where I took some words written by my late husband describing an Antarctic landscape (he had been there in the 60s as part of the British Antarctic Survey).
They fitted both Fiona and my criteria - a reflection of the size, shape and textures of the stone, their place in an outdoor setting and a personal memory. We also spent a lot of time discussing and agreeing the script that would be used to carve the stones. I think this is an important, if not almost the most important, part of the decision-making. Fiona asked for an example of James’ writing and produced a number of ideas for me to consider. The final result is individual and reflects how handwriting does not always follow rules but flows with style and character.
I will certainly cherish them as beautiful pieces of art.”