A while ago, the sculptor Mike Beasley was featured here. He makes a living forging chunks of limestone -- 140 million years old -- into minor works of art.  

They capture the essence of this unspoilt harmony of sea, rock, and wild places. 

Mike trained as a stonemason before graduating with a diploma in sculpture and design from a famous London art college.  

He can transform blocks of Purbeck marble (it is really limestone) into exquisite sculptures -- torsos, abstract shapes, shells, human figures, and hawks.  

Commissions that come in are few but enough to keep Mike busy. On one visit Mike was shaping a rough piece of marble; it was to be a hawk. The rough limestone takes up to three months to shape and polish by hand. 

The hawk would cost about £1000 to buy. 

It's a precarious existence for Mike, who lives in a tiny cottage near the romantically named Dancing Ledge, as he is dependent on "freelance" commissions for his survival. 

Here is another of Mike's sculptures, dating back to 1992. It is called "Young Summer", and shows the torso of a young girl. 

Some of you have asked what this part of the world is like to live in. There are miles of beaches. This picture was taken in February, but imagine in Summer it's busy with people on the beach and swimmers in the waves.  
 

In the distance, you can see the Purbeck Hills where Mike the sculptor lives. We're all waiting for summer now, well the spring would be nice too!