Kathryn and Paul Acton: Featured Artists

A wonderful evening was had with our two guest featured artists: Kathryn (Printmaker) and Paul (Stone Sculptor) Acton at L'Atelier11 in March 2025.

"I had a most enjoyable evening. The artists were so approachable, keen to answer everything we asked.  It gave you faith that your art dream can become a reality.  A most enjoyable evening'' 

Paul Acton - Stone Sculptor

I haven’t always been a stone sculptor. I spent most of my working life as a

Chartered Landscape Architect & Urban Designer. As a Landscape Architect I was always interested in the use of stone in paving and walling, particularly historic and locally distinctive types.

I went on a one-day introduction to stone carving run by the National Trust stone masons at Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire, and then I went back again. Apart from this I’m self-taught and have been stone carving seriously now for about 12 years.

"There is always enjoyment and satisfaction from the creative process and craft involved in making sculpture. I enjoy the challenge of carving stone and revealing the hidden qualities of this hard old material that was created millions of years ago and will long outlast us. I enjoy the ring of chisel on stone, the feel and even the distinctive smell of different types of stone. It’s a totally engrossing activity."

WHAT TOOLS DO I USE?

I often use electric tools such as Angle grinders and Die Grinders mainly to rough out

the stone. I also use a mechanical carving tool. After the roughing out I then use traditional hammers and chisels followed by rasps and rifflers (small rasps for stone) followed by many grades of abrasives, diamond polishing pads and wet and dry sandpaper. I then finish my pieces with several coats of museum quality mineral wax.

My tool roll with a selection of my hand carving tools was available for those who

were interested.

MY INSPIRATION

I carve mainly abstract and semi- abstract sculpture. My inspiration comes from all

sorts of things. Sometimes it comes from the stone itself. It ‘suggests’ a certain form.

Sometimes there are flaws or inclusions in the stone which make you rethink what

you are carving.

The inspiration can come from anywhere and at any time but you have to be

receptive to it.

A few examples:

My ‘Small Talk’ figures are in conversation. They are based on speech marks.

My ‘Trickle Flasks’ are based on an old Japanese flask that I caught a glimpse

of on television, plus an intention to mix stone and pewter that had been waiting for the right piece.

My ‘Embrace’ sculptures are not directly based on Brancusi’s famous and influential ‘The Kiss’, which is considered to be the first modern sculpture of the 20th Century, but a rather a more mundane recollection of a 1960s/70s, and probably plastic, interlocking salt and pepper set.

I have done a series of bubble-like sculptures called ‘Flocculus’. The original idea came from working with Portland stone which is an Oolitic limestone. I thought it would be interesting to do a sculpture in Portland stone showing the micro -structure of the stone at a macro level.

Thanks to Iain, Lindsey and Christy for showing some of my work in the gallery.

Instagram: paul_acton

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Kathryn Acton - Printmaker

I work from my studio in Winslow. I was a teacher for 24 years and during that time I taught children lino printing as part of the art curriculum. The prints they produced were often amazing and their enjoyment contagious.

When I retired my husband bought me a beautiful set of Pfiel lino cutting tools for me to try. I was hooked, it was fun!

I joined Buckingham Art For All (Bafa) and within that Buckingham Printmakers where I met

Lindsey and Iain who run the Printmakers group and who were incredibly supportive and encouraging of my early efforts.

"I was attracted to abstract shapes and blocks of colour but was not sure how to achieve this with lino printing. Lindsey suggested what I might like to do was screen printing. I knew nothing about this process, thinking it was for large advertising posters, so Lindsey arranged for a local screen printer to give a demonstration for our Buckingham Printmakers group."

I now do mainly screen printing although I still produce a few linoprints. It is sometimes good to try the different processes.

MY INSPIRATION

I am inspired by the strong shapes and colours of buildings and patterns and shapes in Nature. Currently I am working on prints of umbrella pines. I work from photographs and using a combination of photo shop and drawing reduce the image to some basic shapes and colours to produce more abstract images.

WHAT TOOLS DO I USE?

I use paper stencils which I cut out using a scalpel and enjoy this part of the process very much. I use acrylic inks to print the image which dries quickly and I usually produce a small edition of prints.

I would like to thank Lindsey, Iain and Christy for showing my work in their lovely gallery.

Instagram: kathrynacton