Matt Harvey – Jamie, Carrara marble 30x25x30cm – In contrast to Republican portraits this is a happier one I carved of a boy called Jamie. Children generally won’t sit still for very long even if you ask nicely! So it is very difficult to do any drawings. So I take lots of photos while they run around just being themselves, as well as trying…

I came across this portrait bust of a man [Roman 1st Century BCE] the other day online, in the Met’s great collection. Some of my favourite Roman portraiture is Republican. If you like the ‘lived in’ face look, no one did it like these guys. Long days at the office and on the battlefield really took their toll on a person. And this is…

This is a photo of me using a ‘point’ to carve out large quantities of marble from a block to create a portrait. I’m using a mallet to hit the point – I’ve always preferred one to a hammer, less noisy. I can cut lines along the surface of the stone and smash off big lumps as I go. Its noisy and dusty work!