'About the Carvings'

  • Andrew creates between thirty and forty carvings a year, each one is an unrepeatable and unique piece. On completion, each piece has an exclusive serial number inscribed on it and is signed and dated by the artist. A record of all finished pieces is kept by Andrew, preserving their authenticity.

  • Famously, Andrew always carves his trademark worm somewhere in each carving.  Frequently the worm is part of the narrative of the piece, an often humorous addition and is always an  extra guarantee of authenticity.

Detail from No 588 'Sparrowhawk'

Detail from No 615 'The Tidbit'

  • Every piece starts out life as a rough sawn piece of timber. Usually the work is carved amazingly from one solid piece. Occasionally Andrew will use two or more large pieces of wood jointed together to create a bigger work. 

  • All wood is carefully selected for colour, grain and any unusual features which may be incorporated into the design of the carving. Although over the years he has worked in many types of  English Native hardwood, especially Walnut, Cherry, Yew, Apple and Pear wood, Andrew now uses one special timber above all others; Lime wood. Lime is the king of all English carving woods, it has been lovingly carved by all the truly gifted carvers over the centuries, from the great Grinling Gibbons, the Master of the 17th Century, through all those great Craftsmen and Artists who have followed in his footsteps. Oak, for example, though well used for the relatively coarse carving in Church Architecture, cannot compare with fine and delicate way in which a piece of well seasoned Lime may be gently formed and shaped, carved to the thinnest possible degree, and then inscribed with the most precise detail. Due to the extremely close nature of the grain pattern of lime wood, the talented and imaginative carver can feel virtually unrestrained in his creativity whilst carving.

Detail from

No 619' Convolvulus Two'

  • All selected wood is kiln dried. This means that instead of  just drying down to the ambient humidity (approximately 17% moisture) the wood is finally cured slowly in a large kiln, and reduced to between 7--9%  moisture content. This means that it can be displayed in any centrally heated house without the danger of cracking due to continued drying. All work is finished with a penetrating oil which brings out the deep colour and grain, and gives a durable finish which will require no further care for a considerable time. Over time the patina will develop beautifully giving a deep and rich lustre to the piece.

  • The carving will always start with a number of loose sketches made, possibly over a period of time on regular forays into the beautiful countryside surrounding Andrew's studio, or sometimes treks made further a field around the country. Over a period of time these roughed out ideas take a firmer shape in the "minds eye" and are matched with a suitable piece of wood from the large stack in the studio. Andrew's inspiration is the unrecognised lives of the millions of small beings which surround us, living their purposeful lives, by the most part unnoticed. He makes cameo pieces, in which he shows us this almost invisible alternate life, instilling it with the joy of living. Creatures with short, intense lives, living purely in the moment, in harmony with all other living matter around them, adapting and fitting easily and comfortably into the pattern of nature. Andrews work is restful on the eye and the soul.

Detail from

No 611 'Heartsong'

  • Each carving takes many days to complete, more than three hundred hours of highly concentrated work go into some of the larger pieces, each carving, large or small receives the closest of  attention from this greatly experienced artist. All areas are meticulously carved, even those that are not normally visible at first, second or even third glance. Indeed it has been remarked by several owners of carvings that there always seems to be more to see, a new angle to be found to appreciate the incredible detail of the piece

  • The finest Swiss steel chisels gouges are used to create the carvings, kept razor sharp with a combination of whetstone ,Arkansas slip stones  and  regular stropping  on a leather strop, or a felt wheel.

  • Texturing where needed is applied with the considered and careful use of  fine dentists drills.

  • Although  the leaves, stalks etc. appear to be so delicate, an unnoticeable structure runs through the whole piece, supporting all parts and retaining the inherent strength of the wood.  Andrew uses his all his wealth of experience to carve the wood down to the barest minimum and yet making sure that the finished work of art will be strong enough to survive the rigours of normal handling, cleaning, etc..

  • The two most popular questions which people ask are; "Does a delicate piece ever break when the carving is nearly finished?" and , "It must take an enormous amount of patience?". The answers? Well yes, very occasionally a piece does break, after which the carving either has to be scrapped completely, or more often  'redesigned'. As for patience, obviously when something happens as just described it would test the patience of a saint, but apart from that? Well, Andrew describes carving as being a "conversational debate with a piece of clever and witty wood, sometimes I'm right, and I win and sometimes the wood is right, and it wins, but the best time is when we are both in agreement"  Bored? Never!

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About The Carvings

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Home

Purchasing

Visitors Book

Creating a Carving

Biography

Exhibitions

Gallery 1

2 3 4 5

Archive

About the Carvings

High Resolution Photographs


Home

Purchasing

Visitors Book

Creating a Carving

Biography

Exhibitions

Gallery 1

2 3 4 5

Archive

About the Carvings

High Resolution Photographs

Home  Gallery 1  Gallery 2  Gallery 3  Gallery 4  Gallery 5  Purchasing  Archive   Creating a Carving  Biography  Exhibitions   Visitors Book    About The Carvings

High Resolution Photographs