Stephan von Clinkerhoffen's Blog

I am delighted to announce that I will be exhibiting 2 of my sculptures at Sculpture in the Garden, Showborough House, in Twyning, this summer. In fact I delivered and sited them there this morning. 
​Both “Noble” and “Solstice” will be on display on Thursdays to Sundays from May 4th to June 18th, along with other sculptors work. See flyer below.
​ "Noble" "Solstice"

Easter's Nearly Here The rules at Easter in England should be 6 people or 2 households can meet outside.
Let's hope it happens. Just have to decide who to spend it with.
​
​Better start planning what you want to do. From April 1st Cotswold Sculpture will be open.
​If you've never been you're missing out, big time.
Click this link Cotswold Sculpture Park for more  information.
​
Click ​here to see their sculptors page and see if you can recognise anyone.
Just over halfway down, on that page, can you see?
Yes, it's Jesse our dog! Some of my birds of prey will be making their way over to the sculpture park in the next fews weeks.
​And Daisy's going too.

Another two of my sculptures will be there as well. 'Skyhawk' and my latest creation 'Solstice'. Click here to see them all together This is Daisy. And this one is called 'Daisy Hitches a Lift'.
​Can you see Daisy hanging on underneath? 'Skyhawk' 'Solstice'

Did you know that eagles and hawks belong to the Family Accipitridae? Which is comprised of hawks, Old World vultures, kites, harriers, and eagles. 

More Work at the Local Museum I engraved this laminated glass to be framed and used as a protective barrier for the inside of an ancient window, the old glass had become very thin.
We didn't want anyone who sat on the window seat to accidentally lean on the old glass. 
I used the carved stone coat of arms, outside the museum, as a start point for the design of the engraving. Firstly I thoroughly cleaned the laminated glass and applied sticky backed plastic, then made some datum marks and started drawing the image from photos. The sketched image is now ready to be cut out.
​Careful planning is needed as you only have one shot at this, only cut away the areas you want to be opaque.  Part way through cutting away the areas to be etched.
​This stage is quite intricate. It took many hours of "fun" and sore fingers from holding the blades. The areas which are cut away will be the opaque areas and the white areas shown above will be clear. This is the scary bit. Etching acid is applied to required areas and left to develop. I needed lots of protective gear, glasses,  gloves, mask and a fan to blow away the fumes as I didn't want to end up looking like elephant man. After a "guessed" amount of time I washed off the acid and quickly peeled away the plastic to reveal the acid burned areas of glass which are now opaque. The framed glass ready for installation after Lockdown 2. ​
​I'm very pleased with the result.

Did you know - Football legend Diego Maradona, one of the greatest players of all time, has died at the age of 60. Click on image below for more information.

It's time to get my Lockdown Artwork out of the garage and into... well a museum. 
Winchcombe Museum is having a massive makeover, but they won't be opening the whole thing until Spring 2021, so they thought why not use the new downstairs area for some local art shows.
If you're in the area come a long and say, "Hi," on Saturday 15th August.
I'll be there from 10am until 4pm, with my sculptures, paintings, prints.
​Even some copies of the images in my books - so you can see where the stories come from. Winchcombe Museum, at the cross, on the corner of North Street and High Street  Come and meet the "Swift Pair"  See how "Daisy Hitches a Lift" You might even find out how this clock helped my book's characters avoid capture

Did you know it's nearly 2 years since Aretha Franklin died? It was on 16th August 2018, that's exactly 41 years after Elvis died.  Amazing stars.

You may have been wondering what I'm getting up to, this Winter.
It's easier to show you than tell you.
​So here it is... (Try it with the sound on.)

ANNOUNCEMENT Following the publishing of the last two books of my series, I am proud to announce that the whole series is now also available in Hardcover version (in full colour of course). Book 1  Book 2 Book 3 Book 4 UK
or
USA

I'd Like to Wish Everyone a Happy New Year
​As my New Year's Gesture...
If you'd like the chance of winning an audio version of book one, "Stig's Flight of Encounters", I have 5 copies to give away, look out for info on my Facebook page @Clinkerhoffen Let Us Also Think of Others as this Year Comes to an End... MELANIE Panaytiou, George Michael's sister who died three years after his death, will be buried next to her beloved brother.

The Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham volumes 3 & 4 OUT SOON "Belas Rift" and "Earth's Time", parts three and four of my book series are being printed right now.
They will have full colour images by yours truly, and will be available in paperback first and then in Kindle and audio versions soon.
You can buy them on Amazon, click on the covers below to be directed to either UK or USA  sites. Release date for "Belas Rift" 15th October 2019

EARTH'S TIME
​​In Earth’s Time, the fourth book of the award-winning science fiction and fantasy series, The Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham, Stig and Meg find themselves back in their world. They arrive in Chelldrah-ham, having passed through the rift from Earth. Stig now has memories of times way before he was born. Relying on his knowledge of machines, aided by Meg and her empathy with nature, he must lead his human comrades in the fight against the corrupted forces of humankind. Strange lands and an unexpected future lay ahead on this bewildering adventure to try to save humanity from itself. Will things ever be the same again?

BELAS RIFT
​​Stig and Meg pass through an inter-dimensional rift from their fantasy world straight into 21st century England. The young pair become startled by what they find.
 
In this science fiction and fantasy novel, for teens and young adults, a series of clues take the duo around the Cotswolds in England where they discover all is not what it seems. Meeting eccentrics, simpletons and often laugh out loud characters, and finding some more willing than others to help them.
 
Action and adventure pave the way on their quest. Can they save life on their world from the actions of an evil greedy human? 

Release date for "War of Chaos" 15th November 2019
​ "Belas Rift" book trailer video "Earth's Time" book trailer video
I hope you like the trailers, they give you a peak at what to expect. DID YOU KNOW IT'S NATIONAL CURRY WEEK?
​You can't beat a good curry!
​ NATIONAL CURRY WEEK'S 21ST YEAR
​
The very first National Curry Week took place in October 1998 and was founded by the late Peter Grove. Peter was a prominent journalist who had fallen in love with curry. His vision was to drive awareness and appreciation of the burgeoning Indian restaurant industry, whilst also raising funds for charity.
See website for more details  
​http://www.nationalcurryweek.co.uk/

100th Anniversary of Armistice Day ​I made this hand from a wax mould of my own hand many years ago, it was once a discarded Welsh coal miners' pit prop. It's made from lead bronze and is very heavy weighing in at 9lb that's over 4kg. It still has some of my finger prints transferred onto it. Last week whilst out walking I remembered my good old dad who was traumatised by the war and knowing Remembrance Day was fast approaching a new jumble of words formed in my head so I set to work making a poppy from clay to marry them all together. I hope you like what came from it all.
​Lest we forget. Armistice Remembered in the Papers ​Tower of London Beyond The Deepening Shadow ceremony The front page on Armistice Day ​The Cenotaph - London 'Stig's Flight of Encounters'
​Brand New Colour Version is Published! ​'Stig's Flight of Encounters' is now published in paperback and  Kindle
​By Waldorf Publishing

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository or from bricks and mortar bookshops.
 
ISBN: 978-1642048353
ASIN: B07JLTQYF8
Size: 8" x 5"
Pages: 272
Age Group: 12 years to 90 years
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction & Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Adventure.

Audio version coming soon!  Reviews Next Week 'War of Chaos'
​will also be relaunched in Colour! ​'War of Chaos' book two of the Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham series will be published on 15th November 2018
​By Waldorf Publishing
​
ISBN: 978-1642048360
Size: 8" x 5"
Pages: 260
Age Group: 12 years to 90 years
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction & Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Adventure.

Kindle and Audio versions coming soon!
​
​
​ Reviews

Book 1 "Stig's Flight of Encounters"
The book trailer video for "Stig's Flight of Encounters" was released last month.
Have you seen it yet?
​The book will be re-released in October in the new colour format.​ 
​Available at Amazon STIG'S FLIGHT OF ENCOUNTERS

BOOK TRAILER VIDEO
​Plus, it just received a really good review from Midwest Book Reviews. It's a shame the back cover's already designed as I'd like to see it on there. Book 2
"War of Chaos"

​The new book trailer video has been released for "War of Chaos".
​I think it's much better than the first one we had. Have a look and let me know.
​This book is to be re-released in November
WAR OF CHAOS

​BOOK TRAILER VIDEO Book 3 "Belas Rift" "Belas Rift" has won a Readers' Favorite book award, the ceremony is in Miami in November, whoopee!
Slight comedown, my surgeon will be replacing my left hip soon which means I won't be able to get there.
I'm so disappointed I would love to have gone to collect it. Book 4 "Earth's Time"
​
​First draft  for "Earth's Time", is done!
​The artwork for all the images are complete and being scanned right now, all eleven of them. Now the edits and rewrites begin. Oh joy! This is a small section from one of the artworks in "Earth's Time".
The new versions of my books have more illustrations 10 to 12 in each. The images are bigger than before and in colour. The books are aimed at young adults and the young at heart, so age 12 to 90 years. They are Fiction, Action & Adventure, SciFi,  and based in a fantasy land.
Books three and four even bring the charactures to Earth.

Sadly Burt Reynolds died earlier this month.
In the States "Smokey and the Bandits" is to return to some cinemas as a tribute.
I was amazed to see just  how many movies he was in.
RIP Burt Reynolds.

​Here are a few of Burt Reynolds best quotes.
Marriage is about the most expensive way for the average man to get laundry done.
My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave.
I can sing as well as Fred Astaire can act.
You can only hold your stomach in for so many years.
The moment you grab someone by the lapels, you're lost.
​​

The Hidden City of Chelldrah-ham series Stig's Flight of Encounters
​Relaunch October 2018
War of Chaos
​Relaunch November 2018
Genres - Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Sci-fi, Action & Adventure.
Age group - 12 years old up to 90. (Young at heart) Kofi Annan Dies Aged 80 On August 18th we lost the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kofi Annan. He was, to me, the best known UN Secretary General. A truly great man, he always came across as very humble, but very determined. RIP.

I didn't know who the latest UN Secretary General was, without looking it up. 
​Don't know if that's a reflection on him or on me.
Kofi Annan, from Ghana, was followed by Ban Ki-moon from China until December 2016. 
The current Secretary General is António Guterres from Portugal.