Yorkshire shepherd Jim carves out a living with new flock

At one stage he even dotted his work around his fields in the rural landscape where he spent his working life, with his sculptures standing alongside the sheep, cattle and pigs which were his livelihood.

When lamb prices dropped Mr Milner was forced to take the difficult decision to leave behind the farming life he loved and move in a different direction.

Initially he decided to study for a maths degree at Sheffield Hallam University before eventually concentrating on becoming a full-time sculptor.

“I’ve always been very independent minded. Being able to bring together my interest in geometry with art and my practical, hands-on skills as a farmer has been a dream come true,” Mr Milner said.

“I carved a lot of my early work in the farmyard, whilst shepherding. I even had sculptures positioned all over my fields for a while - they looked appropriate set in a rural landscape.

“I absolutely loved farming. I just completely fell in love with it so it was with a great deal of sadness that I sold my flock,” he added.

Mr Milner, 62, who is self-taught, lives in Thurlstone, near Penistone, and has now installed 20 of his large works in the landscaped garden of his 19th century cottage with visitors welcome to view the sculpture garden by appointment.

“My designs are influenced by the elemental shapes I see in nature, such as sand dunes and snowdrifts.

“I carve in locally sourced sandstone and the finished pieces are positioned to reflect the light and make the best of the Yorkshire weather,” he said.

These days his work sells in both the UK and aboard and he bases much of his work on the paradox of the Mobius strip, a seemingly impossible, never-ending loop of paper which has only one surface.

Mr Milner, who says he has had a lifelong fascination with geometry, began carving stone when he was just 16 after discovering a mallet and chisel in his father’s shed.

His parents also helped shaped his interest in the arts and literature.

“Most of my art education was gained around the dinner table. My father took me to galleries in London, Germany and France and my mother had a degree in English and studied Anglo Saxon, so I was learning from them all the time,” he said.

Since taking over his father’s house, ten years ago, he has remodelled the garden so that it has become a backdrop for his carvings, blending his sculptural pieces into a landscape which includes natural springs, waterfalls and ponds. “It’s a place which is very dear to my heart,” said Mr Milner. I played here as a boy and I had the freedom to wander around, so the garden almost became part of my personality.”

These days his work sells in both the UK and abroad and his commissioned work has included a war memorial for Thurlstone and a boundary stone for the village. He also created a sculpture for a new garden at Cotswold Care Hospice in Gloucestershire.

His interest in mathematics has led him to produce a series of engravings celebrating some of his own geometric ideas and also the history of mathematics.

Now his sculpture garden is reaching fruition and Mr Milner welcomes visitors to Rose Cottage, by appointment. People should email [email protected] or visit www.jimmilnersculpture.co.uk