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In the mid-1980s I joined a church-based woodcarving class to make the numbers up and my life has never been the same. It was as if an additional set of eyes had opened in the tips of my fingers and I enjoyed the rich tuition of Santiago Bell, a Chilean in exile who had been a political prisoner under the Pinochet regime. I left East London before my own carving had had a chance to establish its own identity. Without a place to work and with very few tools it was difficult to see a way forward until I came across the Open College of the Arts, which re-ignited my interest. Moving to Milton Keynes and having a double garage presented me with space for my first workshop. Upon retirement, the first thing I did was to build myself a studio. Through woodcarving I have met some remarkable human beings. There’s Ronnie Rae who single-handedly has hammered granite for 40 years, producing objects of stunning beauty and sensitivity. No power tools, no apprentices. In an age where lies swarm like locusts, here is a man with a consuming passion for authenticity. truth. Then there is Martin Turner who built a West End creative consultancy and was advising government ministers before turning his back on it all. Reinvented himself as a carver/sculptor, was responsible for the woodcarvings in the Lord Chancellor’s Residence in the House of Lords. His memorial to the 343 firefighters and others who died on 9/11 is a truly monumental work. He is a Quaker who sings with choirs in Anglican and Methodist churches; he has run 39 marathons. Still running... he runs woodcarving courses. Visit www.martin-turner-sculptor.com |
