Yew Owl
A neighbour of mine had the sad task of clearing out his uncle’s garage after he’d died and come across a nice little gem. He had known his uncle had carved and had been a member of the Darlington carving group at Conniscliffe in the 1980s-90s. Whilst searching in the garage he had come across a box of Kauri Timber from New Zealand. For those who don’t know (and I was one of them), Kauri timber comes from an area of Awanui North Island NZ, where a whole forest was flattened some 50,000 years ago and was then covered in a bog which preserved them. No one knows what caused the cataclysm that felled them, but they are slowly been dug up and used for fine carvings and furniture and each piece has a Certificate of Authenticity which can then be passed on. He kindly offered me the box to see what I might do with it.
Naturally, one good turn deserves another and in lockdown, I asked if there was any item they would like or their Auntie might choose. The option of an Owl was jumped upon and duly carved in thanks. They were given the option of full feathering and detail or a sculpture and due to the grain and patternation on the owl, they chose unfeathered. It was carved out of a Yew branch and sealed with tung oil. It now sits outside overlooking the garden.
