This years theme will encompass the weird and wonderful, whether from myths and legends of ages past or straight out of the imagination of the stonemasons.
The participants will be given a block of stone and 2 and a half days to carve something of their own design or from myths and legends.
I will be carving a Medusa inspired sculpture and this will be the raffle prize, tickets will go on sale in the Summer. the money I raise from this helps to pay for some of the event. Why not scroll back to the last festivals and see my Elephant from 2015 and my Mermaid from 2013 which were also raffle prizes.
Me and a select few will use an original piece of the 500 yr old stable buildings, stone from one of the local and probably long lost quarries. These pieces of stone were removed as part of the restoration process and were no longer needed. We will benefit from this and the winning bidders for these carvings will not only get to take away a piece of the original building but a unique piece of sculpture. With your stone you will also receive a certificate authenticating it’s provenance.
On the bank Holiday Monday at 1.30 pm (the 27th August) we will have a live auction. The carvings that the stonemason’s will have worked tirelessly over the 20 hrs to create will be offered up for sale in a live auction. The profit raised from this auction will be given to the Priory Trust to help in their efforts to maintain this beautiful range of buildings.
The organisation of my festival is beginning to pick up momentum now so I will be updating more regularly.
I look forward to welcoming you to the Gloucester Stone Carving Festival.