Danny Barber – Stone Carver

“I am very fortunate to have had commissions to carry me through the winter. These are jobs that could only be delivered once the Spring weather arrives. Hand tooled pier caps, house names, dedications and a cemetery memorial in Carrara Marble which is next on my bench. There has been great variety which I enjoy a lot. Following the memorial I have a very large carving project to do for the Halifax Armouries. I will be replacing the bottom half of the Coat of Arms for Canada circa 1895. This will require clay modelling, plaster casts and many carved elements. The project is moving quite slowly though and I’m not sure that the timing will be in my favour. Fingers crossed.

Working in isolation hasn’t been an issue for me. I always work alone and I do prefer it, although I usually teach one night a week and run an open studio for other carvers. This I miss greatly. I really enjoy the social time, the community and sharing my knowledge and space. Working during this pandemic has been a bit like everything is in slow motion. Like working on a snow day. The projects still have to get done, but the urgency doesn’t seem to be there. Neither is the anxiety and pressure. I’ve been taking the time to do online drawing lessons every morning before starting work which is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. I hope to take away from this experience a more relaxed working pace and to continue to put my creativity first.”