Bone Wounds

More bone than wounds.

The small wounds on the top with the gentle gouge marks

brings a different element to this piece

I love these and will look for more pieces of wood with these small wounds.

Hooded Bird Wounds

This is all so different from my public art, this is improv. I have no idea when I am making these what will occur. All I know is that the growths/wounds/diseased bit stay, I don't know how the ends will be or the mark making, it just happens. Joy.

Oval Wounds

I think creating the titles is the hardest part for the growth series. They really are becoming a family. It is great fun to be back using spokeshaves, drawknives, carving knife and gouges as well as the arbourtech and sander.

Serpent Wounds

As with the previous image, this could have gone anywhere, but it has a feeling of a serpent, obviously it's not a serpent. It can be anything.

Fish Wounds

Back to the wounds and growths series. I chain-sawed a number of diseased ash limbs on monday and took them to the workshop in the garden, my intention is to work on these over the next few days. There are growths, I just work around these, totally intuitively, I have no idea what they will look like, which is strange but very liberating. I think the process is a winner so have confidence in the outcome.

Conning Tower Growth

Whilst clearing the ash tree limb from my shed and cutting it up for fire wood, this piece leapt out at me and called, 'Michael I am a piece of sculpture waiting to be released' so of course I chainsawed and arbourteched, drilled and gouged, charred and polished and the 'Conning Tower Growth' appeared.

Lucky escape

Whilst having breakfast in the woods with my family we heard a bang, thought nothing more of it and went about eating and drinking, then a creak and some more creaking. Yes, something was happening and it didn't sound too good. Then a serious creak and a 'let's move quickly' we did, a crash, a thud, the ash limb broke and landed on the top of the 'palace', luckily it remained attached to the tree, otherwise the 'palace' would have been splinters. I jump onto the roof to check for damage to the liner and carpets, but it seems to be okay. A few days later Paul came over and with remarkable skill took the limb down without any damage to the 'palace'....an almighty phew from me.

Those Boring Worms

I am getting more and more into the idea of these things having been at the bottom of the sea for sometime and the manmade element being intervened with by the organic and weird creatures.

I think the next one will have a feeling of being wrapped in growing tendrils of some sort. Not sure yet but something is percolating