Around this time last year I started on the Monkey Puzzle panels for the woodland walk at Sewerby Hall, Bridlington, and I’m back again. A lot has happened in the intervening months, and I’d intended to be doing this job around Easter time, so it’s good to be back at last.
A huge beech tree had fallen over in recent times, and had been cut into sections of varying shapes and sizes. I enlisted the help of my pal Adam Forster (http://adamforster.net/) to cut the logs ~ three of the seven were earmarked for benches, whilst the more interesting trunks were given flat faces for large areas of carving.
These carvings are to differ from the others at Sewerby ~ the Monkey Puzzle panels each featured some wildlife accompanied by a line of verse or a quote, whilst these will be more “sensory”, with carvings in deep relief incorporating different shapes and textures. The log benches will be more simple, with a shallow carving on the back rest so as not to impede comfort.
Being a coastal area, the theme for these carvings is the sea and the wildlife in and around it. I started off with a carving of a pair of cod fish, seaweed and shells…
This log has a nice natural step, or shelf on the back ~ perfect for photo opportunities, and I’ve witnessed many already; one of the first was taken by the Harrison family, who kindly sent me this lovely picture!
