Carving & Sculpting

The carving work is carried out in the workshop using traditional specialist hand tools, though it is sometimes necessary to use modern machinery during the initial preparation. Once the fine carving work is under way, however, there is little place for anything other than traditional carving tools (many of which are treasured antiques in their own right) together with a great deal of patience.

With the wood prepared and the template marked to best allow the grain to accommodate and complement the design, it is ready for working. The first stage is that of "roughing out", where the design outline is established.

Next comes the "fining down". This usually represents the bulk of the work on any project. It is the stage where the carver's judgment as to the size and shape of each element of the design's finer details comes into play. As the excess wood is cut away, that which remains has to be approached in a particular manner and with an understanding of, and feeling for, how it will respond to the action of the tool applied to it.

Gradually, the design ceases to be a series of lines on the surface and starts to take on a unique life of its own - emerging from the heart of the wood.