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| It was a lovely sunny Sunday afternoon and whilst thinking that “everybody’s got to be good at something” had passed me by, I called in to visit my mother. |
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| Lying in the garden was a fairly hefty piece of Lebanese Cedar, which had come from the local churchyard when one of the branches had fallen. Everyone was in a jocular mood and I was challenged to carve a mushroom from the beckoning lump of cedar, using only a chainsaw. The mushroom had to be bell shaped, complete with gills and had to fit onto a stump in the front garden. |
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| Little did I know this was to be my initiation into the world of chainsaw carving, and so unable to resist a challenge, I rolled up my sleeves and the chainsaw exploded into action as I pulled the starting cord. |
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| Sometime later, knee deep in wood shavings and with more than a little sweat on my brow, a woodland mushroom emerged, complete with gills, and my resulting “masterpiece” now sits proudly on the front lawn complete with green caterpillar. |
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| Having taken the first faltering step into chainsaw carving, and discovering I really enjoyed the experience, I began to look at trees with a whole new aspect. Leaping dolphins, majestic eagles, enchanting fairies with outstretched wings, even darting kingfishers all beckoned to me from the trunks and branches. |
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| I appear to have 3D vision, as generally I do not work from drawings. I see the image in my head and am able to transfer it, with the aid of a chainsaw, into the wood. |
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| Not every sculpture has been a success. Sometimes at a crucial point the whole thing would snap, then a few chosen expletives would be heard coming from the workshop and another carving would hit the log heap. |
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| So have I found my vocation doing what “I’m good at” or am I just a maniac with a chainsaw. |
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| I leave you to be the judge! |
