BERNARD JOHNSON

Stone Carving & Letter Cutting

'Sun and Moon' Portland stone

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A small piece for a friend

carving a relief

Carving a Roman alphabet

Adding the finishing touches to a birdbath

BIOGRAPHY
I was born in 1954, grew up in Ealing, West London, and graduated from Cambridge University in 1975.  In 1978  I began a 27 year career in children's and educational publishing, working with OUP and Lion in a variety of marketing and sales jobs. I started stonecarving as a hobby in 2000, and began training to develop this into a new career in 2003. I have worked as a freelance stonecarver since 2005 working from my studio at Claydon House, Bucks until December 2007 and at Park Farm, Kiddington, West Oxfordshire since January 2008.

TRAINING AND WORK EXPERIENCE
Portland Quarry Sculpture Trust - courses in 2000 and 2001
Memorial Arts Charity - courses in lettercutting 2003 and 2004 including tuition from Tom Perkins, Eric Marland, and Ieuan Rees
City of Bath College - CITB course in Stonemasonry - Intermediate Construction Award 2003 -2005 and Advanced Construction Award 2005-2006
Work Experience with Alec Peever Lettering and Sculpture 2004 and
APS Masonry, Oxford 2005-2006

QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOLARSHIP TRUST AWARD
In 2006 I won a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship. This is currently funding further skills development with one of the UK's top master craftsmen. Click on the links at the bottom of the page for more information.

INFLUENCES
Ever since a child, I have been interested in looking at things made in stone, and as a teenager I developed an interest in architecture and lettering. Discovering the work of Eric Gill (both as a type designer and a stone carver), has been a major inspiration leading me to explore the work of other twentieth century artists working in stone including Henri Gaudier-Brzeska, Jacob Epstein, Barbara Hepworth and David Kindersley.

STONE CRAVING !

Stone is such a wonderful material to work with. No other natural substance has such longevity. To cut into a piece of limestone that predates the arrivals of the dinosaurs and to create something new is a delight and a privilege. Many stones have their own peculiar smell when cut, in particular Portland with its diesel-like aroma, although others are less pleasant, and many yield surprises that can be interesting or frustrating depending upon what you are trying to make!

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Read QEST press release

Go to QEST website

Peony low-relief panel in Massangis stone. Click for a better view!

Nebuchadnezzar. Click to see me better!