About Me

I have always been crafty and enjoyed making air-fix models and dioramas as a child for pleasure and entering them into local eisteddfods. I also enjoyed painting and drawing, and have dabbled in watercolour painting, marquetry, stained glass, pyrography and wood-turning since then.

I started being involved in carving from the age of about 17. I started younger actually when I used to get left with my mums cousin’s husband in his shed when she visited them and Mike carved. He gave me bits of wood and a knife to whittle with and I mainly took wood off a small branch and produced fire wood kindling.when I was about 15, I wanted to carve a head of a lion on a letter rack holder I was making for my mum. It turned out more like a bloated cat, but she was happy and the design of the holder was clever.

I dabbled on and off with various pieces over the years, but nothing significant until my daughter and son were born. Then requests for Postman Pat and dolphins came. As my work and family life allowed, I became involved in community arts work, creating jungle scenes around school libraries, many friezes for a church labyrinth garden and various story benches, play equipment and art boards for school playgrounds.

These experiences have all led to being a training ground, and I fully returned to more serious carving around 2007, when my job changed to a local government role which allowed the time for me to join a local adult carving course. Since that time I have grown in confidence and with the setting up of the Cleveland Carving Club in 2014, I haven’t looked back, enjoying great company with like-minded folk. We meet on a Thursday afternoon and now a Saturday morning and take part in local fairs demonstrating our skills and showing off our pieces. I enjoy carving the quirky, weird and wonderful, and have started taking on occasional commissions, but enjoy the freedom to create whatever comes to mind. Larger chainsaw carvings have there attractions as well.

Woodcarving is a great outlet for me and I like to pass on my enthusiasm to others when I can. I have taught at the club and add ideas to other carvers pieces, but it is important that they feel it their carving and take or leave the ideas I can give. I have lived with ADHD all my life and it’s a great outlet for me to channel the focus I have into wood.

I have lost hours at a time in designing, carving and finishing a piece. So it is with thanks, I acknowledge the patience of my wife in being on occasions, a carving widow. Her disability now leaves me with less time to dedicate to my carving, but she has been very supportive and now it my turn to support her. I have enjoyed the encouragement from both my children, family and friends in my strange endeavours, but give special thanks to my son for the time he has spent creating and upgrading this wonderful website.