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Miriam Johnson is a London based  stone carver, stonemason and sculptor. Her work can be found in private collections and public spaces both in the UK and internationally. As well as original sculptures and commissions her work also includes restoration and conservation work, architectural carving and memorial work .  Now in her studio in North London, she is constantly finding the balance between craftsperson, artist and teacher. 
 

About

Prizes and Awards

Visitors Choice Award  at The Fourth Annual Exhibition of Stonemasonry at Gallery Different  2022


Drapers Company Grinling Gibbons Tercentenary Commission Competition Winner 2021

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The Master Carvers’ Carving Prize for Final Year Student 2019

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Clyde and Co Art Award with NewPlatform Art 2019/2020

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First Prize, Public and Peer Prizes in London Craft Week Carving Competition at City and Guilds of London Art School 2018

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The Masons’ Company Prize for Studentship and Commitment for a Continuing Student 2018

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The Prince’s Foundation Award for Excellence   2015

 

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Exhibitions and Residencies

Carving the inside of one of my draped b

Bath Society of Artists 119th Annual Open Exhibition, Victoria Art Gallery, Bath - October 2024

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The Fourth Annual Exhibition of Stonemasonry - Gallery Different, Fitzrovia, London - November 2022


‘The Conference of the Birds’ Group Exhibition -Tristan Hoare Gallery, London  -June 2022


Art Residency with the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Art and the Royal Commission of Al’Ula – Designing and carving a public sculpture located in Al’Ula, KSA including public workshops and talks. -- 2021 -2022


'FOLDS' Group Exhibition - Tristan Hoare Gallery, London  May -July 2021


Worshipful Company of Masons Annual Exhibition 2019 - Gallery Different, London - November 2019


Exhibited work at the Clyde and Co offices, London with New Platform Art  - 2019


City and Guilds of London Art School Degree Show - June 2019
 

Teaching Roles

Senior Tutor at  The King's Foundation School of Traditional Art's outreach programme in Al'Ula, KSA -2023-Present

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Tutor at De-suung Skilling Programme Training Centre, Padhuna, Punakha, Bhutan -July-Oct 2023

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Tutor at The Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Art's outreach programme in Al'Ula, KSA -2020-2023

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Visiting tutor at The Prince's Foundation Summer School, Dumfries House, Scotland and Prince's Foundation School of Traditional Arts, London- 2022

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Visiting  stone carving tutor at City and Guild of London Art School - 2021

 

Artist Statement

​​I aim to instil in my work a sense of life, movement, and warmth - stone can often look like a cold, heartless material so I try to fill it with gentle life, give it presence. The tactile nature of my work is very important to me, I want the audience to feel that irresistible urge to touch the work; momentarily deceive their eye. I’m often drawn to creating works involving cloth and drapery, I find the final result of making the hard stone look so soft and malleable is as appealing now as it has been throughout sculptural history. .​​With a background in historic, architectural and classical carving, the forms and significance of these traditional trades and crafts remain close to my heart. I feel that a sculpture in stone has an innate quality where no matter the subject the stone gives the piece a presence, a connection with the ancient, the classical, the architectural - a solidity and presence  that is hard to gain in any other material​​In my most recent work I look at the human form, playing with the idea that making a figure in stone, putting them on a plinth gives the person depicted a formality and grandeur. The sense that the specific person shown is worth something more than the flesh and blood of the observer. I look at making the figures I create less formal, less specific, they may be immortalised in stone, but they are still a human like any other. With this idea I look at removing the specific features of the person but emphasize their life and character through informal gesture, movement and gaze.​The materials I use, their provenance and history are important to me: I try to use local materials, stones that have travelled as little as possible, that have a connection to the place I’m working in.  I often use reclaimed stones that already have a history so that I can be part of the continuation of that stone’s story as well as being part of the lineage of ancient skills and techniques passed from generation to generation

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Podcast interview from 2025 on "The Stone Carving and Lettering Takeaway" :
 

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Podcast interview from 2020 on  Cut the Craft Podcast:
 

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Featured in Crafted in Carharrt Article 2019
 

© 2026 Miriam Johnson

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