A visit from Amigo, carver of signs in limewood

Amigo came round for a visit to my studio today and brought a couple of his house signs with him:

He has been carving since 1989 and is entirely self-taught. Amigo's wood of choice is lime (a species of Tilia, also known as linden). It was a bit of a surprise to me as the timber isn't thought of as being durable outdoors, even though it is a classic wood for carving. He explained that to stop the signs weathering, he first treats them with preservative and then, once it has dried, a mixture of yacht varnish and mineral turpentine. The final coat is of yacht varnish. They apparently seem to last well in all weathers after the treatment.

I like the contrast between the bark, the toolmarked background and the smooth numbers as well as Amigo's fun, informal style of number design.  The acorn is his maker's symbol.

If you would like to contact him and have a chat about his work, you can phone on 0117 904 0907