Posted on March 30, 2015
Wooden bowls and bells and more: a visit to Paul Caton
Paul in his workshop
It’s hard to resist the appeal of Paul Caton’s large wooden bowls. I’m told his children sometimes had their daytime naps in one. His children are big now, but the bowls still inspire him. He also creates sculptures in bronze, stone and marble. Remarkably, apart from a few encounters with Elizabeth Frink while he was living in the Ardennes for six months, he is self-taught.
His most recent public work, figures from the nativity carved in lime, can be seen in Hereford Cathedral. A gentle, self-effacing person, he works in the grounds of his home above Lingen in Herefordshire. He and his wife Gill, a special needs teacher and speech therapist, used to run for several years an arts programme for children in Leominster. His generous spirit also induces him to donate pieces to people he admires, he mentioned in passing he’d given a piece to Satish Kumar when he learnt that I invited Satish to talk at Out of Nature two years ago, and it sounds like he has plans to donate a large piece to another high profile ecologist.
Paul will be showing at “Out of Nature” again this year, and we’re delighted that he will be making one or two pieces especially for the show.
Paul in front of his house in Lingen
Showing the wooden template for a bell
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