What they do: People are turning to stone sculpture for a variety of purposes - not just for headstones. Bernice Harrison reports.
Many of us will have a specially commissioned stone sculpture made for us - one day. We won't have much say in its style and shape, which is a pity really because it's a gravestone and many a control freak minimalist who in life would be horrified at the thought of a fussy headboard now lies beneath a polished granite slab complete with decorative angels and gold curly writing. When stonecarver Jane Mortimer moved from England to Fermanagh to establish her stone carving studio, the work that came in the door was quite a bit different from the type of work she had been used to.
At home there was a steady stream of headstones as people sought something unique and a bit more personal - headstones made out of rough hewn marble in which a line of poetry was carved or some other more personal decorative image carved in stone.
Since moving here a couple of years ago she has only done two headstones - and one is for someone who is still very much alive. Instead, the demand has been for small sculpture, particularly garden sculpture. One commission was for a line of Yeats carved in a rough piece of stone, for another client she carved words into paving stones and she makes free-standing figurative sculptures that must look magical, particularly in a lushly planted garden. House names carved into stone have become a bread and butter staple.
"I think there is a growing interest in stone," says Jane, "you only have to look at the number of new houses that are being clad in stone, any of the quarry owners will tell you that."
Born in Wales, Jane came to stone carving by a circuitous route. After a degree in history, she went to university in Oxford to study for a masters in building conservation. The course included a study of natural materials, including stone, which interested her so much that she started to take weekend courses in stone carving. From there she did a year-long apprenticeship-type course in stone carving in a college in Bath followed by another year working with a stone carver in Oxford who specialised in lettering.
"I work in all types of stone," she says, adding that she was amazed when she moved here to discover how little Connemara marble is used for carving. "It's a very interesting marble to work with because part of it is hard and part soft. I use sandstone, which is readily available in this part of the country, as well as Kilkenny marble and imported limestone."
She has won some large commissions, one for Belfast City Council, the other for South and East Belfast Healthcare Trust. "I'm really lucky that for one job I'll be ordering a three ton block of stone, for another it could be a piece of stone to make a sign for a house."
Prices, she says, have to take into account that she works entirely by hand, carving with a hammer and chisel. Some people order just one letter carved in stone and that would cost around €22, a house name in sandstone tends to be around €130 and sculptures start at €300.
Jane Mortimer, Greendale Cottage, Mullyknock, Tempo, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. Tel: 04889545044
