Robyn Golden-Hann's Profile - #SBS

Robyn Golden-Hann's Profile - #SBS

My profile on Theo Paphitis' site, with grateful thanks from a happy lady!

Theo Paphitis

https://twitter.com/TheoPaphitis

I'm delighted to announce that Theo Paphitis (star of Dragon's Den) has chosen my business as a winner in this week's Small Business Sunday, resulting in a re-tweet on his popular Twitter feed and huge internet traffic for me. Thank-you Theo! @TheoPaphitis#SBS

Horatio's Garden

For more info on Horatio's Garden at Salisbury District Hospital, The Spinal Injuries Trust, Cleve West's garden design, and of course the stone plaque I carved;
http://www.ssit.org.uk/ssit-page.php?pageID=47

Horatio's Garden

I was today pleased to attend the opening of Horatio's garden at Salisbury District Hospital.
The garden was designed by Chelsea flower show winner Cleve West as a memorial to Horatio Chapple, the young man so tragically killed in Svalbard, Norway, in 2011.
Horatio was an enthusiastic volunteer at the Spinal Injuries unit where his father Mr David Chapple is a highly renowned spinal surgeon.
The memorial garden has given a whole new lease of life to a previously grim yard at the spinal injuries unit and is a complete triumph of beautiful, yet practical design especially with the needs of wheel chair and bed bound patients in mind. I was honoured to have been commissioned to create the memorial stone to Horatio set in the garden pathway.

Please see the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust (SSIT) website/blog below for more details.

http://www.ssit.org.uk/blog-post-view.php?blogPostID=59&blogID=2

Wilson's Solicitors

I'll be exhibiting at Wilson's new premises in Salisbury the eve as part of their re-launch party

Gravestone restoration

Here's a lovely little Portland stone memorial from St George's church, Harnham, Salisbury UK after a little loving care in my studio. The headstone has been cleaned, re-cut and painted and is now ready for re-installation.

Before restoration

Robyn re-cutting the inscription

Carefully painting the letters



The finished stone

Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews

 

Here's a piece of marble I've carved and then painted with acrylics. I've always been intrigued by the lovely texture of these Latin words and felt that they had a really lovely flowing sound to them. I started by using so called 'rustic' Roman letters, but changed the design as I drew it out onto the marble and adapted them for my own purposes.

 

 

    I think I'll probably fix this to my studio wall, which is increasingly turning into a little chapel!

In The Beginning Was The Word

 

A photo of a piece created last year to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King

James Bible (the first authorised English translation). Carved, gilded and painted slate & ash wood.

Elizabeth Barret Browning

This is my design for a quote from the Browning poem which has been rattling round my head for the last month. I did a sketch for a client for the back of a memorial headstone with this quote, but in a very much more formal hand, so then took the opportunity to draw something a little free for my own amusement and then coloured it in with calligraphy ink. I've set this out on a small piece of slate to carve, and may well develop the design further, carving it in a bigger tablet of green Westmoreland slate.

And here is my carving, executed in a piece of black Cumbrian slate. I may well gild 'afire' and 'God', and perhaps carve this again in a pale stone so that I can paint the letters red, as per my sketch above.

Memorial restoration

 I was recently commissioned to restore an old headstone and add an additional inscription for another deceased member of the same family. The headstone shown here (left) was quite heavily weathered, but still in remarkably good order. It was located at West End cemetery, nr. Southampton, Hampshire U.K. and was originally carved in the 1950's from Portland stone by a very accomplished artist. The style is very reminiscent of the school of Eric Gill and I have my suspicions that it may well have been carved by one of his 'Ditchling crew'.
The first step here was to remove the headstone (seen here is my colleague Andy Parsons digging up the stone) and bringing it back to my studio nr Andover for some TLC.

My assistant Karolinka cleaned the carving with nothing more technical than warm soapy water and a variety of scrubbing brushes, (plus plenty of time and patience!) using a fine bronze brush for the details. 

 

The cleaned carving

I set to work cleaning the back of the stone bearing the main inscription using the same method.

 

The partly cleaned inscription, a nicely balanced classical set of text. When fully cleaned and dry the stone is set up on my easel where I carefully pencil on the new inscription to match the style and balance of the extant lettering. All my letter-carving is done by hand, using a zinc-alloy 'dummy' and fine tungsten carbide tipped chisels, most of which I now have made to order by John Parsons of Salisbury, Wiltshire (U.K.) Finally, there were two very fine hairline cracks in the stone which were repaired with a mixture of stone dust and hydraulic lime, coloured to match the stone.

 

 

 

 Here is dear old Andy Parsons out in the rainy British summer setting the headstone back in place. Note the pre-cast concrete 'shoe' footing set below ground level.

 The finished stone, good for a few more years yet, a satisfying job well done.

Horatio's Garden

 I'm deighted to have been recently involved with this project, more details to follow soon on Horatio's Garden and the Southern Spinal Injuries Trust http://www.ssit.org.uk/we-help-appeals.php?caseID=1

Crafts Council

http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/craft-directory/makers/view/?guid=8206234a-f717-

I've finally registered my business with the Crafts Council

http://www.gardengallery.uk.com/cms/index.php/the-artists/125-robyn-golden-hann

My work featured on the Garden Gallery website

Roman Lettering

Here is a simple little stone I've carved in a pastiche of a classical Roman inscription.

For this commission I've gone right back to basics and used so-called 'Trajan' Roman letters. Shown here is the slab of Portland stone on my wooden easel. Above left my sketch, and above right a copy of Eric Gill's drawing of the Trajan alphabet for inspiration. I've just started in this photo to set out the inscription. All lettering is drawn free-hand using nothing more than a steady hand and a pencil. 

The finished carved stone set outside on one of the rare sunny mornings we've enjoyed this June!

Another view of the same inscription.

All roads lead to Rome! There is something very satisfying about going back to these lovely letter-forms. A good understanding of Roman letters helps to inform the rest of my lettered work and I must confess that I never tire of Roman letters. They do seem to have fallen out of favour somewhat amongst some of my peers in the world of fine letter-cutting, but sooner or later they will come back into fashion again; they always do...!

Carving a Portland stone memorial with a blackbird and ribbon

Letter-cutters

I've set up a LinkedIn group for letter-cutters, those artists who hand-carve inscriptions in stone and wood; follow the link below or click on the LinkedIn button to the right.
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=4482026&trk=hb_side_g

Letter-cutters group

I've started a new group on LinkedIn for 'Letter-cutters'; those artists who hand-carve inscriptions in stone and wood. Please join if you are interested.

Thy Kingdom Come...

I've been thinking about the Kingdom of God over this weekend.
Here in the UK we've been celebrating Queen Elizabeth 2nd's Diamond Jubilee; 60 years on the throne.
It's been a time of party and community celebration, such a joy to witness and to see us as a nation appreciate all that is good and worthwhile in this country. Now, I'm not a raging Royalist by any means, but we have a monarchy, it functions well and is widely respected and held in high regard at home and abroad. It also gives us a fine excuse for a party!
Salisbury, where I live in Wiltshire, has fully participated in these celebrations and I'm pleased to say that the church has maintained a high presence throughout it all. All denominations have pulled together with a day of community volunteering (over 400 volunteers!) and have joined together in various services and events.

In particular, I've attended two BBQ's this weekend which have really got me thinking about kingdoms.

'Your Kingdom come, Your will be done...' as we regularly say in the Lord's prayer. Until a few years ago I always imagined that this 'Kingdom' was some imagined, hoped for fulfilment of Jesus' promises, to be attained in the afterlife....or at the end of recorded time....
However my attitude changed when our vicar said something once about being in the kingdom here and now. Sometime I see this in sharp relief and it really comes home to me that yes, God's Kingdom is being built here on earth, in places, but is not yet fully formed.

On Saturday eve I attended a 'churches together' BBQ hosted by the Bishop of Salisbury Nicholas Holtham, in the grounds of the cathedral school. A very prestigious setting for the great and the good, the upper echelons of Wiltshire life, the upper middle classes....and the rest of us. That is, despite the money and privilege associated with a place such as this I came to realise that this is all fully accessible to me too. That great riches and all things good are available to all, just step through the door held open for you by Jesus, and hey, there it is!
Saturday eve, though somewhat dampened by a very typical British downpour of rain, was still a pleasure. However it did have something of the feel of an event for the elect, members of churches, ticket holders all.
On Sunday morning our church (St Michael's Bemerton) held an open air service on Bemerton Heath, the notorious council estate on the northern edge of town. We also held a BBQ. This time however, the event was freely available for everyone. No tickets, no church membership required, no fee. Everything free, and freely given. Many attendees appeared at the end of the service just for a free burger....and why not? The setting may not have been as 'rich' and exclusive as the cathedral close, but here was the kingdom of God being built in community and fellowship.

The joy and love and goodness of God is fully, freely and un-conditionally available for all. Just turn up, come as you are, no ticket required.

Thomas Gainsborough

I've recently worked on the restoration of Thomas Gainsborough's tomb at St Ann's church, Kew, London. The memorial was created in the 19th century, carved from a hard, dark limestone.

This commission came from Minerva Conservation who called me in to undertake the re-cutting of the inscription to this historic tomb. The stone itself is still very sound, though with the passage of time some of the thin strokes of the letters have disappeared and the overall appearance of the inscription had become quite 'fuzzy' as can be seen in the above photo.

My job simply involves carving over each letter. Using a dummy and chisel I re-carve each letter by hand, being sure to deepen each letter and re-establish the thin strokes where required, but...being very careful to maintain the integrity and spirit of the original inscription. It could be too easy to over-carve and change the appearance of the letters. To my trained eye, some of the original letter-forms are somewhat archaic and a bit...well, awkward, so one has to reign in ones desire to reshape some of the letters and keep to what is there!

Whilst the stone was at a good height, working flat is a tiring back-aching job! In all, the whole inscription took three long days to re-cut. However the weather stayed reasonably fine, and I stayed in a delightful B & B in Kew, which is the most lovely part of London, quite like a little village.

Work in progress, showing re-cut letters, my tool roll of chisels and a valuable cushion for my poor knees!

The finished inscription.

St Ann's, Kew.

The white gazebo covers the tomb.

Sir Thomas Gainsborough

I'm delighted to have gained the commission to restore the inscription on Sir Thomas Gainsborough's tomb in Kew, London. Photo's to follow when work commences soon.

Portsmouth plaque, carving a World War two naval memorial in Portland stone

Andover Advertiser

My work featured in the local press

http://www.andoveradvertiser.co.uk/news/9557189.Robyn_proud_to_carve_memorial_to_boy_sailor_war_

Michael Renton baptismal font

Some years ago I had the pleasure of executing a design on the behalf of the late Michael Renton, a renowned lettering artist and stone carver based in Hampshire. By the time of this commission Michael was in very poor health and he died shortly after this font was completed. I met Michael and discussed the carving with him at the works dept of Salisbury cathedral where I was then employed. These photo's were taken at the mason's workshop in Salisbury. He gave me with a copy of his design and left me to get on with it and seemed quite happy with the finished article. It now resides in St John's church, Farley Chamberlayne, in an isolated part of deeply rural Hampshire, one of those mysterious churches that has survived long after the medieval village it served had disappeared.

Carving a Portland Headstone

Here's a detail of a memorial I am currently carving from Portland stone. This is all cut from one piece of stone, the relief being 1" deep (25mm). This photo shows the carving with the inscription pencilled on by hand prior to carving. The roundel bearing the main inscription is slightly convex. The Blackbird and ribbon has been a real joy to carve! When the inscription is finished I may well give the carving a little more attention to detail; a final touch up.

New Website

The new website is now online! More changes on their way all set for an exciting year of growth and development.

www.bespoke-memorials.co.uk

Workshop Sign

My new workshop sign which I've carved, painted and gilded from a piece of slate.

In the middle is my little logo.

Unit four studio is slowly taking shape, a new office space coming soon along with a refreshed website.

Carving a Sign

Here I am carving lettering...literally!

 Work in progress on a new sign in slate for the studio.

Changes to studio four

Well, this month has seen a flurry of activity already. I've cleared out the studio, brushed down 6 years worth of stone dust from the rafters (horrible job!) re-painted the walls, put some shelves up and given the place a much needed tidy up. A small space has been set aside in one corner to make a little office space, room for the drawing board and computer etc. It'll be a relief to finally get all of my working life operating from one space and not having the office at home! Not that I mind too much, but it can become difficult to switch off from work when the computer is within easy reach...
I'll finally carve a sign for the studio too. It's always the cobblers children who go without shoes, and as such although I've carved probably thousands of letters over the years, rarely make anything for myself. Tomorrow I'll start a design for the studio sign, I've a nice piece of slate set aside just for this. Then when all is up and ready we'll have a little gathering with some of the other artists at Project Workshops for drinkies and nibbles.
Our vicar has kindly agreed to then come and offer a blessing on the studio to mark an important new phase in my working life as I re-launch the business. More exciting changes coming this way!

Craft & Design Selected Awards, Vote for Robyn!

Please consider voting for me in the awards, thanks!

Acheson

Greek Inscription

Here I am in the studio carving an ancient Greek inscription on the back of a Yorkstone (sandstone) memorial headstone. The circular text reads 'Now peace and quiet'. The figure in the middle is a Chi-Rho; the two letters Chi (X) & Rho (P) are the first two letters of 'Christ' in Greek, hence this symbol was commonly used by the early church before the universal adoption of the cross as a symbol of Christianity.

Carving letters from a different alphabet or a foreign language is always a pleasure as one concentrates so much more on the form and shape of the letters, being unable to read what it actually says!

The year ahead in Unit Four

Well, I'm fully back at work now and glad to be so. I'm really looking forward to a year of opportunities and new growth in my business.
I've been established at Unit Four, Project Workshops for 5 1/2 years and the business has steadily grown each year. My focus now is almost entirely hand-carved lettering and low relief carving for bespoke memorials, plaques, plinths, as well as some lettering restoration on historic monuments.
I hope to build on this and take on some more artistic projects too. I'd somewhat ignored exhibitions in the last few years, but following the success of The Word exhibition at Sarum college (where I had shown a specially created work, see earlier posts) this is something I intend to pursue. Also, I hope to start submitting proposals for competitions too, again, not an avenue I had previously followed as all previous works were strictly commissions that had come directly to me.

A better marketing campaign will be launched too, as well as a new website, watch this space for further developments. Plus the studio itself will see a major make-over soon. It's time for a complete clear out and re-arrange along with the creation of a dedicated drawing office space. It's all go for an incredible 2012!

Cleaning an old headstone

This is one I carved 13 years ago! Cut from Chilmark (Wiltshire U.K.) stone, technically a sandstone due to the high silica content, but it looks, feels and behaves like a limestone. This is a triptych of stones to commemorate three young sisters tragically killed in a house fire. The tall headstone bears their names, whilst the two smaller stones either side each carry a quote. The headstone has come back to the studio for a little clean and an additional inscription. A good scrub with a stiff brush (hard nylon bristles) and plenty of warm soapy water are all that are required, then I rub over the surface with a diamond abrasive pad, again with plenty of warm water.

As the stone gradually dries out we can clearly see the difference (the top whiter section has already dried).

When fully dry the stone is set up on the easel for the additional inscription to be hand-drawn on. The stone must be bone dry otherwise the pencil will smudge and get into the porous surface making a terrible mess which can only be removed with abrasives. Finally the lettering is hand carved and the stone will be set back in place. 

The headstone is on the trolley behind, a hole dug ready for it to be replaced. Here I am cleaning the two smaller stones either side of the main headstone.

The stone set back in place, my colleague Andy Parsons behind the stone!

2012

Happy New Year!

 May God bless you with a bountiful year full of  joy.

May your dreams and aspirations see fulfilment

and let peace reign in your life.

 This is going to be one incredible year of new beginnings, growth and great change for many.