In 2003 I was commissioned to work on 5 large scale pieces for Queen Elizabeth Park, Guildford. I had an adventure finding the oaks, getting a bus, a train, then a tiny bus, to a timber suppliers in a field near Midhurst. There I climbed about on huge fallen trunks, with a spray can, marking my chosen pieces with an "S". Sometime later they were delivered to my garage workspace in Brighton by an amiable driver. We had to stop the traffic to make space for his massive articulated lorry to extend its arm, with the oak, into the garage. Anyway, the driver, Dave, was interested in my work and told me he could probably always find the wood I need out at his place.
Since then I have mostly got my wood from Dave, often in exchange for paintings or small pieces of work. We like to do trades. He lives in a beautiful old shepherd's cottage set deep amongst trees, surrounded by wood, both sawn and in the round, and a vast collection of vintage work vehicles.
The pics show Dave sawing up a piece of mountain ash, he is keen for me to try this & let him know how it carves. Then he is sawing the oak I am currently using for a carving of Mowgli.
The oak beams don't look very large, but are massive and weigh a ton. I shall use the 10" one for the totem pole commission I'll be working on from September. But first I need to locate 6 strong men and true, to get it into my upstairs workroom! Let's hope the floor holds....
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