carrie horwood
Mediums Used
Carrie has just celebrated 16 years in business and has been running her small business from Taurus Crafts on the edge of the Forest of Dean which is just 8 miles from the historic town of Chepstow in South Wales.
Carrie uses Limestone from France for her figurative and portrait sculpture it has the most incredible density for fine details and glows in the sunshine. She also uses calligraphy to design her own style of lettering to carve inspiring and imaginative words and letters. For these forms, Carrie mainly uses Welsh, Cornish and Forest of Dean Sandstone but loves the colour and texture of Red Sandstone from St Bees in Cumbria.
Sadly the Tetbury limestone quarry that Carrie used to favour closed last year but she still has a large selection of this stone as a raw material for her to use in her creations.
Carrie takes commissions for a wide selection of sculptures from figurative to abstract as well as house names and numbers which can all be personalised with motifs and pictures carved in relief.
Carrie, Uses the fluidity and swirly forms found in nature to inspire and drive her to show the best of nature. She trained as a stonemason at Gloucester Cathedral after completing a Ba in sculpture at Christ Church College in Canterbury. Using both of these disciplines Carrie uses her unique insight to design and carve her beautiful creations. She also has a series of sculptures that she is developing of figures and faces doing something, one of her sculptures is in place at Denmark Road school in Gloucester and shows a 3ft tall sculpture of a girl in modern dress as she is about to ask a question.
Carrie works hard everyday to complete her commissions and carve new pieces available to buy off the shelf from her shop in the Forest of Dean.
I carve evocative shapes and forms as well as figures and faces. I have the skill of a stonemason and the creativity of an artist.
I also have the ability to carve exact portraits using models I have made from people or animals
I want to create beauty, movement and fluidity in a material that is hard unforgiving and static. My carvings come from the experiances of my life so far, I have to carve what I see and follow the paths set for me by my ideas.
I love to carve figurative forms with the flow of hair and fabric enveloping the forms.
This sometimes leads me to an abstract form, but I don`t set out to intentially create abstract art-these come from the development of my ideas.
I find the excitement and passion that drives me on comes from seeing my work develop and mature as each year passes.
Sculptures by carrie horwood
Credentials
Qualifications
Weymouth college and Gloucester Cathedral 1999-2002.Stonemasonry Apprenticeship.
Christ Church College, Canterbury:
1996-1999, Single Honours degree in Sculpture.
1995-1996, Joint Honours Art and Social Science.
1993-1995, Canterbury College of Higher Education: Btec HND Mechanical Engineering.
1991-1993, Sir Roger Manwoods Grammar School, Sandwich. Kent: A-levels, Sculpture, English and Geography.
1989-1991, Sir Roger Manwoods, Sandwich. Kent: GCSE`s: Sculpture, History, Maths. Biology, Chemistry, French, English Lit and Language, Sports Science, RE.
1986-1989: Barton Court Grammar School For Girls, Canterbury. Kent.
1979-1986:Goodnestone Primary School, Goodnestone. Kent.,Weymouth college and Gloucester Cathedral 1999-2002.Stonemasonry Apprenticeship.Christ Church College, Canterbury:
1996-1999, Single Honours degree in Sculpture.
1995-1996, Joint Honours Art and Social Science.
1993-1995, Canterbury College of Higher Education: Btec HND Mechanical Engineering.
1991-1993, Sir Roger Manwoods Grammar School, Sandwich. Kent: A-levels, Sculpture, English and Geography.
1989-1991, Sir Roger Manwoods, Sandwich. Kent: GCSE`s: Sculpture, History, Maths. Biology, Chemistry, French, English Lit and Language, Sports Science, RE.
1986-1989: Barton Court Grammar School For Girls, Canterbury. Kent.
1979-1986:Goodnestone Primary School, Goodnestone. Kent.Exhibitions
yes
Awards
Awarded Yeoman mason status by the Worshipful Company of Masons for charitable work and raising the profile of Stonemasonry, 2015.
Peoples choice and peers choice at The 2nd Ludlow Conservation weekend stonemasons festival for her carving of `an angel and the spirit. 2012
1st prize at the Highnam Court Spring Fair, 2010
3rd year apprentice prize at Freiburg Stonemasons festival 2002
Apprentice of the year Weymouth College, 2001
November 22nd 2021 celebrated 16 years in business.
Carved an 8ft x 4ft war memorial for Mitcheldean and Abenhall
2020-2021
Organised and ran the 3rd Gloucester stone carving festival 2018
Carved an sculpture memorial of an Art Nouveau style statue for Highgate cemetery in London.
Organised and ran The 2nd Gloucester stone carving festival 2015
Organised and ran The 1st Gloucester Stone Carving Festival 2013.
June 2012, completed the commission of a pair of cherubs for a memorial placed in Cullen Moray, Scotland.
Won both Prizes at The 2nd Ludlow conservation weekend Stone-carving festival/competition. May 2012.
Took part in The Highnam Court Spring Fair carving demonstration April 2012
November 2011, celebrated 6yrs in Business.
February 2011, moved to Taurus Crafts in Lydney, Gloucestershire.
Nov 2010 entered work into shop/Gallery at Craft Renaissance in Usk.
Sept 2010 started displaying and selling at craft fayres.
August 2010 put sculpture on display at Lower Slaughter Manor Hotel.
Took part in stonemasons festival in aid of charity at York Minster Aug 2010
Took part in and won 1st prize at Highnam Court Spring fayre April 2010
Moved to Tithe Barn Heritage Centre in Brockworth Jan 2010
Took part in Norwegian Stonemasonry festival July 2009
Organised Charity stonemasons festival at Harts Barn Craft Centre in the Forest of Dean-raised almost ?2000. May 2009
Took part in The Highnam Court Spring Fayre mini Stone carving festival April 2009.
Organised Charity Stonemasons Festival May 2008. Raised ?3000.
2007 carved and built into the Norman keep of a castle in South Wales, the Heraldry of the Seymour family.
Carved a font for a church in Bristol.
2006 carried out restoration work on the statue of St Richard of Droitwich.
November 2005 set up Cat`s Eye Carving at The Harts Barn Craft Centre in the Forest of Dean.
Worked as a commercial stonemason 2003-2005. worked on various churches and houses around the county.
2002-2003 worked as a monumental stonemason, employed as the primary stonemason working on houses and churches around the county.
1999-2002, trained as a stonemason at Gloucester Cathedral and Weymouth College. Suffered a career ending injury to the fingers of my left hand 2000.
Won 1st yr apprentice prize
Took part in York Minster Stonemasons festival 2000.
Took part in STonemasons festival in Freiburg Munzingen 2002-won 3rd yr apprentice prize.
1996-1999, carried out single honours degree at Christ Church College in Canterbury-attained a 2:1.
The Sea and the nature of my surroundings.
Sculpture from the ice age period,
Ripples in water and geometric number sequences.
plants, trees and flowers
2020-2021 I hand carved an 8ft x 4ft x 2ft new war memorial for the parish of Mitcheldean and Abenhall, this features names and dates as well as two 3ft carvings of a WWI and WWII soldier in deep relief. Hand carved Forest of Dean sandstone.
Font for Withywood Church, Bristol.
Carved and built into a Norman keep, the heraldry for Penhow Castle in South Wales.
Memorial Carving and plaque for the Armed Forces installed outside placed in Pershore Church.
Memorial sculpture of Rafael`s Sanzio Angels in Cullen Moray, Scotland. Carved and installed.
