This has been an unusual project requiring the carving of living trees.

In some of the carvings I have used the living bark as a feature, taking special care not to completely isolate the bark from the living cambium.

So far, 9 carvings have been completed with a further 7 remaining. It's quite a task!

Before work started, it was decided to take advantage of the sunlight. Each animal has a shaft of sunlight to highlight the sculpture for most of the day, which is almost like an individual spotlight.

The tree features have to be considered before work starts and in many cases voids, burrs and tree knots have to be incorporated into the design features.

The tree species I have been working on are horse chestnut, beech and red oak.

Exposing the living tree after bark removal will encourage oxidisation of the new green wood. Red oaks will soon darken as the evidence of tanin is exposed. In the case of the badger, a dark stripe has appeared from the nose to the ears. This is normally not acheievable unless hand coloured.

As time goes by and the air dries the carvings, natureal cracks will appear, and nature will add a further patina over time.

It has been an absolute pleasure to get stuck into my latest series 'Woodland Flora' which takes inspiration from some of my favourite trees and plants such as horse chestnut and wood sorrel.

I've used a standard block of Quebec Yellow pine to create a wall mounted relief form.

All off the pieces are being prepared in readiness for my next exhibition at Gallery@12 Eccleshall, Staffordshire, throughout March 2022. It would be great to see you there!

I started by drawing the dogs, thinking of the proportions required for the roof beam, whilst capturing the individual essence of each dog.  

I used Cedar of Lebanon wood to match that used in the construction of the roof truss in the new kitchen, so when attached it would more or less blend in (no two pieces of wood are the same of course!)

Cedar of Lebanon proved to be a very difficult wood to use! To achieve the sort of detail required was almost impossible (but I hope you will agree that the final outcome was really good!)  The wood was 'friable' so snaps easily and was a bit like carving toast!

Hopefully you will agree that the end result looks great!  My clients certainly agree. Here it is fully installed in the kitchen in the Homer household.  

As one of the newer exhibitors at the Gallery@12 gallery in Eccleshall, it was a real honour and privilege to create and install a new mobile free standing sculpture to welcome visitors to the space.

Now that the Gallery 12 mobile is now fully installed l thought it would be the right time to explain my inspiration and construction of the mobile.     

Flocks of birds have always fascinated me, the ever changing flight form, a pattern and multitude of life all intent on moving who knows where. The sculpture is called "Flight of Freedom" and is constructed in birch plywood. Each bird is cut out with a jigsaw and jointed together to form a strong mass.

A total of 80 birds each painted with a number of selected colours front and back. This enabled the creation of movement. A number of birds are suspended to hang free treated with light reflecting materials to enhance the movement.   

The Gallery has always tried to reach out to customers, to portray artistic excellence and build a respected following.   I do hope a focal point has been created for the Gallery and new interest for the arcade and the people of Eccleshall.

Do come along and visit Gallery@12 in Eccleshall, Staffordshire.  It's a really interesting and inspiring place to come and see so many local Staffordshire artists all in one place.  And you will get to see some of my work too!

Gallery@12 is open again from Wednesdays - Saturdays. (Tuesdays where possible).  

Please check before you drop by 01785 850757 or galleryat12@gmail.com

After

​Presented with the material, the next stage was to refer to my drawn-out design and transfer the basic form to the log, using a chain saw to remove large quantities of surplus wood.  The surplus wood was placed on our log rockery for the encouragement of insect life.

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Having completed the chain saw work, I had reduced the volumes and weight to enable transport to the carving shed.

​Work started by carving the reverse of the sculpture and then after completion of the basic shape, a bin liner was placed over the wood after each work session.  This enabled moisture to be retained without evaporation and shrinkage, i.e. checks and star shakes.  To delay removing the plastic bag for more than 7 days can result in fungal attack, so timing was critical.