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Carving in Stone

By W. R. Allen

This carving in Green Horton Stone is one of the impressive progress works completed by W. R. Allen, who was awarded the 1949 National Travelling Scholarship in Art by the Association of New Zealand Art Societies. He is studying at the Royal College of Art, London.

With the arrival in Great Britain in September last year of Miss Sina Woolcott, the Association of New Zealand Art Societies now has three scholarship holders studying and working overseas.

William R. Allen, the Wellington-born sculptor who had studied at the Canterbury School of Art, reached London in June 1949, and was accepted by the Royal College of Art for the School of Sculpture under Professor Dobson. He has found time to do some commissioned work for two British sculptors, James Woodford, R.A., and N. Stillman, A.R.C.A. For the former he has executed a plaster relief panel to be finished in stone for the Allied War Cemetery at Caserta, Italy; for the latter, a large plaster abstract-shape display stand for the British Industries Fair Exhibition.

Margaret Thompson, the Elam-trained winner of the 1949 award, arrived in London in January 1950. Her chief interest is in various forms of church decoration, glass-staining in particular. She has visited cathedrals and churches in Britain and Europe and has first-hand experience of the workshops and studies where the craft is practised. Miss Thompson is taking a part-time course at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London under Mr Spear, a specialist in stained-glass work.