A bit about me

I am a letter cutter, carver and designer based in Dalkeith. My formal lettering training included a Historic Environment Scotland Craft Fellowship with The Colin Braid Stone Workshop in Midlothian, followed by a Lettering Arts Trust Apprenticeship with Eric Marland in Cambridge. I now work from my studio in Dalkeith, taking private commissions for memorials, plaques and other lettering projects. I work mainly in stone (slate, sandstone, limestone) and wood. I very much enjoy the process of working with a client to create a special and unique piece that hopefully surpasses their expectations. I aim to offer a friendly service and a personal touch.

I regularly exhibit my work. This is a creative outlet for me and I believe an important part of improving my artistic practice. I love to experiment with new materials, letterforms and carving design, which I hope allows me to develop my ideas and skill base while staying true to the good design ‘principles’ I learned during my formal training.

Recent Feedback

“Jackie has just completed a beautiful grave slab for me on a large oval of Caithness flagstone. Not only is she an excellent artist and letter carver, she has empathy and is endlessly painstaking and generous with her expertise. She wants to help you get it just right. Hopefully designing a partner’s grave stone is not something we do often in life. It is so important to feel enhanced and not diminished by the process. Jackie will guide you, engage fully with understanding your aims and produce a unique, stunning work of art. Jackie’s finished stone made me feel I had done the best I possibly could for the person I have lost.”

Lillias Noble

“I am really delighted with the beautiful stone and sign that Jackie created for me last year for my garden. She was excellent at transcribing my rough designs on paper into reality and explained clearly what was possible to achieve in stone and wood. She was very thorough in her work and prompt and reasonable in her pricing. Transport of these heavy objects was arranged very well as their destination was a remote place in Scotland. “

Mary Gladstone

“We were completely blown away by our wedding arch. The colours, the structural quality, not to mention the personalised intricacies (the thistle and rose for our national flowers; and lyrics from our first dance) made the arch perfect to marry under. Jackie even worked with our florist to give the arch that extra flare. Even without the flowers it’s beautiful. Now a permanent feature in our garden. Jackie, thank you.”

Cara and Iain Miller