Several of you have asked: WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CARVING?
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Not counting odd little practice pieces, which I can't remember now and no doubt ended up on the fire, this is probably my very first 'proper' woodcarving - a stylised relief of Yellow Flag flowers, 1975.
I bought a long plank of Mahogany, about 10" wide, from a lumber mill; cut it up; and made a dozen or so relief carvings which I sold from the window of the workshop. I think that might even be a price tag...
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| While I'm at it:
Here must be my second carving, from the same plank: a stylised butterfly.
What you can't see in this old black and white photograph is that I coloured the flower a brighter red than the background.
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This is probably my first work in the round: a foetus turned 'the right way up' from an Elm log, about 15" across, sometime in 1976.
I may have done other, smaller, pieces but, again I have no memory of them!
This piece sticks in my mind for other reasons: I did it when my (then) wife was pregnant with my first son, Daniel.
I have since been commissioned to carve another version twice, giving me a chance to explore the form further each time.
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| Here's a back view:
The sculpture is left from the chisel and finished in linseed oil and beeswax.
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