Sebastian Rasch reviews

21 May 18'

Kate Coggins reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"What a gem this course is! The venue was amazing (and so was the weather) and the tuition and support from Sebastian were perfect. Although rather tentative at first, I gained in confidence over the weekend and produced a piece of work that I am very proud of. I hope to book again in the future."

21 May 18'

melanie Alexander reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"i just had a fantastic weekend on Sebastian's stone carving course, the location is fantastic, the course is informal and relaxed and completely hands on. Sebastian has a real passion for stone carving which is very inspiring. I would love to return and spend the weekend there again. A very enjoyable course."

20 May 18'

Anne Bulley reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"The fact that I keep returning to Sebastian's sculpture courses speaks for itself I think. I enjoy the space, the company, the amount of input from Sebastian, which is never too much nor too little. He is always there if needed. He explains how all the stone he has on offer carves and details of its makeup, but most of all I love working in the open air (if it isn't raining or snowing!) creating, thinking, working out how to achieve the effect I am aiming for. Long may he continue to provide such pleasurable and constructive courses."

8 May 18'

Tyson reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"I had no idea what to expect from this course, which had been given to me as a surprise birthday gift. Creativity is not something people normally associate me with, and so I had concerns about how I'd manage to project an idea onto an object carved from stone. But my fears were immediately put aside by Sebastian's wonderful course. The beautiful location of his workshop is idyllic and incredibly peaceful - a perfect environment to create an intense bond with a piece of rock over the two-day course. We were fortunate enough to have superb weather, although Sebastian's home-made wood-burning stove and copious supply of hot drinks suggested any inclement weather wouldn't put a dampener on the need to work indoors. Sebastian's tutoring style is charmingly calm and relaxed; he flexes the way he gives advice for each course attendee, as needed, clearly demonstrating his passion and experience for stone carving. I would highly recommend this course to anyone, even to those only remotely interested in stone carving. It was a great, relaxing break and something I'd have no heTyssitation in doing again myself, especially now that I'm armed with a basic knowledge of tools and techniques."

6 May 18'

Polly Mcmeeking reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A great two days in a beautiful back to nature setting. Simple facilities with sensitive skilled tuition combine to create a lovely sense of purposeful calm endeavour. Big blocks of stone became beautiful individual treasures by the end of our course. Highly recommended."

17 Apr 18'

John Fearnside reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"This is a very pleasant way to spend a weekend in beautiful surroundings and create a stone carving with the guidance of Sebastian who a great character and hugely knowledgeable. I cannot recommend this enough."

17 Apr 18'

Caroline reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"What a great way to spend a weekend! Sebastian was a great tutor, balancing giving each person the autonomy to experiment with giving the required support / suggestions as and when required! The group had people of varied levels of prior experience of stone carving (some on their second or third workshop with Sebastian - which is quite a testimonial in itself!). I can see why people come back. Thoroughly enjoyed it and more than happy with my ‘creation’. Many thanks."

15 Apr 18'

Michael kendall reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"We had a fantastic two days. Sebastian is very knowledgeable but allows and encourages you to just play with the stone in a very unprescibed way which we really enjoyed and were delighted with the results. He is always there to advise when required but nicely relaxed and always encouraging. I have already recommended the course to many friends and hope to be back."

6 Apr 18'

Hazel and Andrew Crook reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"The company was good, the teaching superb and the discovering of new skills exciting. We went home at the end of the course very satisfied and pleased with our sculptures."

29 Mar 18'

Nick Thorn reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"This was an excellent introduction to stone-carving, providing an opportunity to get to use a wide range of hand-tools. The days were highly enjoyable and I met a really good bunch of people from widely different backgrounds. The course has resulted in my taking up carving in quite a serious way."

22 Mar 18'

beth reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"Really good fun, not a lot of tuition but Seb on hand to provide excellent advice to make your project magical. Everyone produced something beautiful on our course."

21 Mar 18'

Clare reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"I had a fantastic weekend learning how to sculpt with limestone. After a warm welcome, a cup of coffee and introductions, we were shown what all the tools did and let loose on practice blocks. Once ready, Sebastian helped select the right stone for each project and was always there with help and advice. The time flew by and I couldn't wait to get back for day two. We were all very pleased with our finished results and the fact we can continue on them at home using easily obtainable tools. Its definitely a hobby I'm going to continue and I'm very grateful to Sebastian for offering such a great course."

20 Mar 18'

Jane Wells reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"Really good introduction to stone carving. Helpful intervention and advice. Appreciated being allowed to express myself and my choices were supported. Truly relaxing weekend spent with some lovely people."

7 Feb 18'

Charlotte Gowers reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"The setting was beautiful and i really liked the atmosphere and environment sebastien had created. He held the group very well and was attentive offering suggestions, tidying and ensuring we were comfortable working on our plinths. He created an inclusive laid back environment and it was relaxing to sit by the fire in a circle and have our breaks. The only thing i would have liked would have been more guidance on techniques. His teaching was very fluid and we just got on with our work but it may have been helpful for the first bit to have a more structured tutorial on technique. . It was a good course and we learned through the experiential . good value for money. Sebastien was kind and thoughtful and created a harmonious relaxed atmosphere. Which was a lovely way to spend a wet weekend in January . Thank you"

6 Feb 18'

Jim reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"Really enjoyed the weekend and surprised myself with my sculpture as I'm not very "arty". Tuition was informal, adopting a get stuck in and call if you need help, which suited me. Would recommend it, and I intend to have a go at another lump of stone at home."

6 Feb 18'

Debbie Harding reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"I was on the 2 day course. Sebastian was friendly and made everyone feel at ease. We began with a brief introduction about stone carving and the tools we would be using, and then were given a piece of stone to practise upon, which was really helpful. Once we felt ready, we were given our piece of stone and started our creations. Sebastian was really helpful. He gave good, clear advice and was always ready to give guidance when it was needed but allowed you to 'do your own thing'. It's helpful to have a picture or sketch of what you want to make, but there is a book you can use for inspiration if you haven't come with a plan. I absolutely loved my time stone carving and will definitely be back again. Everyone one on the course had a lovely creation at the end of the weekend. Can't recommend highly enough!"

5 Feb 18'

Steven Terenzio reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"I purchased this as a Yule present for my partner. The two day course was in a lovely setting and the studio was a good size with lots of room to work in. Sebastian was friendly and has a relaxed and informal approach to teaching but always on hand should you need him. It's amazing what you can achieve working with this soft bath stone even if, like me, you're not artistic! We were in a group of eight people who all seemed to enjoy their weekend and produced a little work of art! Just a great weekend"

5 Feb 18'

Philip Champion reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"It was a great course in a lovely location. I have always wanted to learn about stone carving and this course gave me the knowledge to start a new craft. Many thanks for a wonderful weekend"

26 Jan 18'

Tony reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"My partner and I, with four friends, attended the introductory stone carving course given by Sebastian last weekend. I was keen to try stone carving as this is a material that I have no experience of working with at all. It was intriguing working with Bath Stone (quiet a soft stone) and pleasing results were obtained rather more promptly than I had thought was possible. It was a strangely compelling task and the time flew by. Sebastian is a very supportive and enthusiastic teacher and allowed each of us loose to develop our own projects, some of which were well planned and others purely random (such as my own). Despite some cold and wet weather the workshops were sufficiently warm. Conditions are a little basic owing to the relatively remote rural location of the workshops. Moderately aggressive geese guarding the route to the lavatory did cause some consternation among some of the attendees. I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone interested in trying stone carving for the first time. It is certainly an activity that I would try again."

25 Jan 18'

Stone Sculpting reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A thoroughly enjoyable weekend and a great way to try out stone sculpture. Sebastian first asks you about your skills and aspirations for the weekend. There is then an explanation of the different types of stone and tools to be used. You have a trial piece of stone to experiment with the various tools before starting in earnest on your real sculpture. Sebastian offers advice and encouragement as you progress (and helps out if you are struggling or break off the wrong bit). The course is run in a lovely rural setting just below the Cotswold hills, it is quite inspiring to sculpt out in the open air (albeit a bit bracing in a cold January wind)."

25 Jan 18'

Louise Bradforth reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A group of 6 of us attended Sebastian's 2 day stone carving course. After a short intro' we were let loose with our blocks of stone; first a practice block to get to know the tools on and then onto the final piece. Having never carved stone or wood my hopes of creating anything artistic were quite low...but I was surprised by how soft and easy Bath stone is to cut...and pleased by the end result. It was an informative introductory course in a friendly environment - and above all it was fun! Top Tip 1 - plan what it is you'd like to create. A sketch might help. And remember its just a weekend course - not enough time to create a replica of Michelangelo's David. Top Tip 2 - This would be a great present for an art student to broaden their 3D work (for example for the portfolio of a student wanting to go onto a foundation art or degree course)."

24 Jan 18'

Maryanne Stanley reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"This was an immensely rewarding weekend, where I was free to explore the wonderful material of bath stone. There were a wide variety of interesting people who created some marvellous finished sculptures. I had requested a larger stone (3' x 2' x 1') to work with & was more than aware I would need to finish it off at home. I have since purchased tools and plan many more sculptures. Many thanks to Sebastian for the introduction to this material & for the numerous photos."

22 Jan 18'

Ewan Preston reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"Well what a great weekend. Think I've found a new hobby. Great people on the course with an excellent instructor. Sebastian gives enough guidance to enable your hidden artist to emerge and release your full potential. I can totally recommend this weekend."

13 Nov 17'

Richard reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"A great weekend with an excellent instructor, highly recommended for anyone who wants to relax with a hammer and chisel!! and learn how to create something from nothing."

13 Nov 17'

Emefa reviewed: Stonecarving Weekend, Gloucestershire Cotswolds

"I thoroughly enjoyed Sebastian’s stone carving course. The workshop is located in a very natural and relaxing environment. Sebastian himself is a very skilled and intuitive teacher. I absolutely recommend this course."