A sculptor and former art teacher has died at the age of 75.

John Bunting spent 40 years teaching at Ampleforth College, North Yorkshire, until his retirement in 1987. His former pupils include the portraitist Andrew Festing and Angel of the North sculptor Anthony Gormley.

Mr Gormley said recently: "I can still remember those drawing classes. We'd clear out the desks and he'd set up something for us to draw. There was such an atmosphere of concentration and silence."

Despite dedicating many years to his teaching, Mr Bunting was primarily a sculptor, whose work almost always celebrated the Christianity. Carved in stone or hard woods, his artwork was deliberately crude and primitive, embracing the pre-Renaissance tradition of craftsmanship.

The majority of his work was done in the North of England and by the mid-1950s he was increasingly sought after as a church sculptor, with his work ranging from carvings and inscriptions to full figures.

He was appointed as a teacher at Ampleforth in 1955 and 29 years later became sculptor-in-residence. Over the years he made many statues for the school, including one of St Benedict above the entrance to the monastery.

Mr Bunting, who died on November 19, separated from his wife, Romola, in 1978. He leaves two sons and three daughters.