Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

Thu 06 Jun 2004Carving a career out of stoneWhat 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.