Matthew figurehead

I'm still working on the figurehead, just waiting for a few last vital measurements before starting carving. Last week the timbers were cut and planed smooth so that they can be glued into a block to be carved.

'Wood miner'

Well, it's been a while but I've just made another metainsect for the series that I've been working on for the last few years. These sculptures are all inspired by the US defence department's 'HI-MEMS' project, which seeks to implant electronic and mechanical devices into insects so that they can be used for military purposes.
 I'm imagining that eventually, instead of implanting complete devices, tiny 'nanofactories' would be put into the insects. These could produce the devices from within the creature and would also be able to self-replicate into succeeding generations, meaning that the insects could be released and then left to reproduce themselves with their synthetic systems being passed on as well.
With the possibility of reproduction comes the chance for variation and evolution, both of the insect and the synthetic system. So what would the evolved descendants of these creatures look like and what other creatures would prey on them?

The 'wood miner' is like a super-woodworm, which has a tri-cone mining drill bit as mouthparts, so can chew through almost anything. A woodcarver's nightmare!

This image shows all the individually carved pieces that make up the sculpture

Four seasons at Boiling Wells, St Werburghs, Bristol

These pictures show the seasons at the Boiling Wells nature reserve in inner city Bristol, where I work part-time. It is administered by St Werburgh's City Farm and is a beautiful place, as I hope you'll agree.

A snowy day in January

A frosty February morning

A sunny day in March

Springtime and the plum trees are in blossom

May/June, with the maypole still decked out

Late summer and the site is at its greenest

Autumnal golden leaves

If you would like to go to the St Werburgh's City Farm's website, or return to it, then click on this link

Breamie on the Matthew

My friend Breamie passed away recently and some of his friends gathered on the Matthew to remember him a week ago. He crewed on her many times during his life and I hope that the new figurehead will carry a bit of his spirit with the Matthew wherever she sails in the future.

Timber for 'Matthew" figurehead milled

Last Friday we milled the timber for the new Matthew figurehead at the Ashton Court estate on the edge of Bristol. The tree trunks used are Lawson cypress, which was cut down as part of a landscaping scheme and has been sitting around unused for a few years just down from the mansion which it grew next to. This timber is very durable and not bad to carve, so will be ideal for the Matthew. This kind of tree also comes originally from North America, so also ties in nicely with the Bristol-American connection that the Matthew represents.

My mate Bob brought along his Alaskan mill-a frame which attaches to a huge chainsaw so that timber can be cut up onsite. With the help of Alex Philips, the three of us managed to cut large logs into some good, usable timber in a day. Some of this will now be glued into a block to carve the figurehead from, making it more stable and less prone to warping or splitting over time than a squared-up piece of trunk would be.

 Alex, Bob and I take time out 

                                                                                           to pose for a team photo

Many thanks to Bob and Alex- it couldn't have been done without your help! And here's a nice sunset photo of Ashton Court to finish with...

Liz Krčma

The start of this year was sadly marked by the loss of  Liz, who was a very talented ceramicist and a good friend. Liz had previously shown at an important international ceramics festival in Croatia and  had just completed a residency at a ceramics research institute in Denmark, where she was planning to live. Her determination and creativity were inspiring to be around and she will be missed by a lot of people. I just wanted to remember her here. 

Carving workshop

Today was spent running a woodcarving workshop for the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV). The people attending were all young people who are carers, looking after someone (e.g. a family member) who needs help in their day-to-day life.

We carved signs from oak which will be put in the BTCV's Tree life centre in Kingswood, Bristol. The signs identify the different types of tree which are grown in the tree nursery there. The trees are sold to fund the charity's work.

Everyone produced some really good signs and it was a pleasure to work with them all. 

The finished signs, with the oil finish drying