Green wood carving

Monumental sculptural wood carving is an opportunity to get involved in carving large scale green timber. We work together to gain confidence and develop the foundation skills of making, often starting with large animal sculptures. You will be guided by Stephen Stockbridge who is trained as a sculptor and has been creating public artworks for over 30 years. Top end tools, biscuits, and tea are provided.

Adopt an artwork!

Adopt an art work for your organisation... for free! All you have to pay for is the transportation of the sculpture and it is yours forever! With a range of on going communal projects to choose from, there's got to be something for you. To find out more, have a read of this PDF and then give us a call or email.

What will be learnt?

Students are introduced to working with mallets, chisels, and gouges, while also learning the principles of tool sharpening, an essential part of the process. There will be demonstrations of other wood carving with power tools, including chainsaw and angle grinders, while also having the opportunity to understand how to sling and move large work. Collaborating with others on large-scale pieces is the most important part, as in this process we learn so much about ourselves.

At this fundamental level, we tend to stick to a variety of hand tools. By using bow saws then wedges and mallets of varying sizes, we extract pieces of wood from large tree trunks for our sculpture. Upon doing this, we learn to manipulate the wood and fashion its form, first using carving axes and draw knives, then wood carving gouges and mallets.

What is green woodworking?

Simply put, it is working with wood in its most raw state. The wood is freshly harvested and has a high moisture content, making it easy to split, cut, and carve by hand. We are using techniques that are easily learned to help gain confidence and give a framework on which participants can explore the world of making, craft and sculpture. Spontaneous moments are captured, energy is shared, all within the supportive atmosphere of the Creative nature HQ.

Do I get to take my work home with me?

If you work on a small piece on your own, you can take it home or buy Membership and a Time bundle, come to the studio and finish it at a time that suits you.

One of the main principles of Creative Nature HQ is to learn and share new skills and discover the power of working collectively. Making sculptures takes much more time than people often think it does, and the workshop helps you adjust to the speed of making. Because of this, work does not always get finished in one session but a large piece is handed from one group to another until it is finished. At this point, the work can be purchased by individuals or adopted for free by an organisation via our Sculptural Adoption Programme. When an artwork is purchased or adopted, the resources are then used for the next collective woodworking project.

What to bring?

Please wear suitable clothing and footwear, and bring your own flask or bottle of water.

All materials and tools are provided.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.