Architectural
- fireplaces
- ornamental
- plaques
- leaves
Soapstone and alabaster
The colour variations in the red Indian soapstone are ideal for chameleons while the white and grey alabaster provided a ghostly lizard.
Kilkenny blue
Although this is a limestone, I've included it on this page because hardness and ability to take a high polish make it quite different from other British limestones. Its main attraction to carvers is the contrast between the rough-worked stone, which remains grey-blue, and the blackness when polished. The snake and dolphin illustrate how effective this contrast can be.
Marble onyx
The natural stalactites on the face of the stone are retained in these pieces while the lizards are highly polished and become translucent when placed in front of a light source.
Ironstone
I live near one of the main sources of English ironstone, a stone much loved by Henry Moore. So some years ago, I tried a piece, but to my surprise and disappointment I found it a terrible stone for carving - really just soft mud with impenetrable pieces of iron distributed randomly. So after getting about halfway through carving a rough lizard, I became disillusioned and chucked what I had done in a shrubbery. Several years later, a friend found it there and declared it one of her favourite pieces of my work! So I gave it to her. And here it is back in full sun in a garden in Sheffield.
