WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING...
Below, keep up to date with all my recent shows, commissions, and projects. You can also find all of this and more on my Facebook page!
Cheshire vs Carrbridge
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The end of summer brings two shows that are both very special to me, and yet they are total opposites. The August bank holiday weekend hosts the Cheshire Game & Country Fair, which has always been a favourite as a spectator and a carver, while the following weekend is home to Carve Carrbridge, which is such a unique competition.
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When I first began carving, I visited the Cheshire show and have been attending ever since. Four years ago, I had the honour of participating in the carve for the first time, where I entered the novice competition. This competition is titled Best of British. It is a 15-hour carve, but even less if you participate in the speed carve (which I always do because I love it!). Unfortunately, this year, one of my saws malfunctioned in the first speed carve, so I had to do the walk of shame back out of the ring. The silver lining was that it gave me more time to work on my big piece.
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In my first year, I made a small piece based on the children’s book ‘Guess How Much I Love You’, which featured two hares and the moon. When you compare this piece to the work I produce now, you can easily see the improvements I have made. My piece this year featured a large parrot and a little lizard. I did not have any reference photos of a lizard with me and I had such bad service that I could not search for an image, so the lizard is entirely from memory. He was accurate, all things considered!
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‘Guess How Much I Love You’ was also the inspiration for my piece from Carve Carrbridge this year! There are many differences between these two pieces; firstly, the size and secondly, the time it took to create. Not only is Carrbridge’s piece much, much bigger than the first-year Cheshire piece, it was also created in about a quarter of the time! The unique thing about this competition is that it is a chainsaw-only, 4-hour carve. We get 2 hours and then a lunch break before returning for the final 2 hours. It is a hard day's work but extremely rewarding.
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This year, the piece featured the moon at the top of a tree trunk with an owl perched in front and the hares at the base. I am so proud of all of the detail I managed to squeeze into this piece in just 4 hours. I chose a very large piece of wood in the log draw, so there was a lot of bulk to get rid of, which consumed a lot of my time.
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These two competitions, a week apart, challenge me in such different ways. It is such an exciting way to round off the summer and a great opportunity for me to show off my range of skills as well as reflect on all I have learnt in the past year and since I started carving. I am always so honoured to be invited to participate in these events, and I hope to return next year.
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15th September 2025
How I Prep For Shows
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This season has been full to the brim with shows, so I thought I would share with you what I do to prepare.
With a competition, preparation begins at least two months in advance, when I start thinking about my large piece. At least two weeks before a competition, I become obsessed with the chosen design and focus on practising the piece as well as studying images of the chosen object or creature. For Carve Carbridge, I like to make a miniature prototype to practice finishing without power tools, as they are forbidden in this competition.
With any show, I spend a lot of time considering what stock to make and take. I aim for variety in my pieces so that there is something for everyone. Building stock can take some time, but with so many shows is it's hard to fit it all in! It is also important that I properly prepare my saws. This includes charging batteries, sharpening and cleaning the saws and ‘dressing the carving bar’.
Packing up the van and trailer can take up to four hours alone, but I have a checklist (built from my mistakes of the past) to ensure nothing goes left behind. I have left behind all sorts, from my entry pass and wristband to my jawhorse and even my underwear! Some things live permanently in the van to ensure they are not forgotten, like duct tape and a chainsaw spanner. The one time in life I have not had duct tape to hand, I was at a show and smashed the side window on my van when leaving the site. I had to borrow duct tape from everyone to repair it enough to drive home!
My dream is to be able to have a spare of everything, but for now I have to keep everything super organised to make travelling easier.
As much as I love going to shows and carving alongside my friends, I hate food shopping for the time away. If I could survive without eating, I would just not bother. Unfortunately, carving uses up way too much energy, and it is important to fuel myself properly.
Show season is so much more than just going away for the weekend - it seems I never rest. Good thing I love what I do!
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28th July 2025
First Two Months Full-Time
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Wow! What a start to my full-time career. The past couple of months have seen successful shows, news-breaking commissions and finally, some time to organise and tidy up my workspace! The idea behind going full-time was that I could finally have some days off but they are still few and far between. Luckily, I love what I do!
My full-time career began just as the summer show season was about to start. I’ve attended many shows including the Thame Country Fair, Strumpshaw Steam Engine Rally and the Sandringham Food, Craft & Wood Festival where I competed in the English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition; this was truly an honour and always a pleasure to spend time with the other carvers.
A particularly proud moment of mine was the infamous Yaxley Angel! I am so lucky to have received so much support on this one. It is just one of many commissions I have done so far this year. I feel my commissions this year really show how much my skills have developed and I am truly proud of every piece I have completed so far.
Honestly, as much as I enjoy being at the shows and on-site, it has been so lovely to spend some more time in the yard. My workspace is slowly becoming a place I can be proud of rather than a messy workshop. After much nagging from my daughter about my terrible photo-taking skills I have designed, painted and planted a section of the yard as a backdrop to photograph my pieces against. I am so pleased with how it has turned out.
The first two months have been amazing. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store.
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8th June 2025
God is a Woman
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I recently had the honour of carving an angel in a cemetery in Yaxley from a large Wellingtonia that had to be felled. Although it took me three and a half days to complete the piece and a chainsaw is an incredibly noisy tool, speculation began on social media that it was divine intervention that caused the angel to appear.
This angel was already so special to me as I lost my Nanny the week before. Being in such a beautiful cemetery gave me time to reflect and remember her. The angel became even more special when it was picked up, firstly, by the BBC and then by ITV, due to the online speculation. I had the pleasure of appearing on BBC Cambridgeshire radio and ITV Anglia News on the TV. This was such an experience and I am truly grateful. I had never dreamed of getting such great interest in my work just months after going full-time.
It is not often when doing a job in public I get to hear much feedback, however, the regional interest in this piece has allowed me to see some of the lovely comments from those living in the village. I am so grateful for everyone’s kind words and it was a pleasure to meet some of the locals whilst completing the piece. They shared with me a variety of stories about the cemetery making it a job I will never forget.
If you are interested in reading the BBC’s piece on my angel, please follow the link below:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3nnl0rnrno
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31st May 2025
English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition
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I cannot believe it has already been one whole week since the English Open Chainsaw Carving Competition. Let me tell you all about it!
As this was my first year competing as a full-time chainsaw carver I was incredibly nervous, especially knowing all the other amazing talents that would be there. I spent a lot of time planning and sketching my ideas. I had two main ideas in the beginning: a Celtic rabbit or my 7-year-old Nanny reading her brand-new Bible. In the weeks leading up to the event I was very lucky to spend a lot of time with my Nanny before she passed so, feeling inspired by my time with her, I chose to carve a girl. On the day I then made the decision instead to carve a grown woman; this allowed me to focus more on the shaping of muscles which gave my piece more life and reality.
I was unfortunate to pull number 19 out of 23 in the log draw so there was not much to choose from once it got to my turn! All things considered, I ended up with a really lovely piece of oak. The competition in total is 25 hours, however, I participated in all 6 of the speed carves which greatly reduced the time I had to work on my piece. It was worth the sacrifice as I love speed carving. Nothing beats the feeling of the applause in the ring after creating a piece totally original in only 30 minutes.
As much as these competitions and shows are about carving, my favourite part is really the sense of community. I love the evenings around the fire and getting to see other artists perform our shared craft to such a high quality. I cannot wait for the next one!
2025 English Open Chainsaw Carving piece titled ‘Enthralled’.
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12th May 2025
Exciting Announcement:
I have some exciting news! I have been given the honour of carving again at the Scottish Open Chainsaw Carving Competition at Carve Carrbridge 2025.
This will be my third year at this event. I first attended back in 2023 which was also my first time in Scotland! The following year I made the most of the journey from my home in Cambridgeshire and stopped at the beautiful Loch Lomond with my husband.
Take a look at my pieces from the previous years:
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2023: The Seahorse
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2024: Coming Up Fighting
I appear to be very influenced by the ocean for this show - I wonder if this will influence this year too! The title for the 2024 piece is inspired by the name of the Siamese Fighting Fish which we have had a few of as a family over the years.
The special thing about this competition is that it is just 4 hours and we are only allowed to use the chainsaw. This a real challenge but definitely one to look forward to.
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28th April 2025
My First Week as a Full-Time Chainsaw Carver
At the beginning of the month, I finally took the plunge and quit my part-time job to become a full-time Chainsaw Carver. This has been a dream of mine for many years, and I am so proud to have been able to take this step in my career.
Here is a little insight to my first week on the job:
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I completed some site visits for future commissions
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I finished off and delivered some commissions including this beautiful red kite and this adorable trio of badgers
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I spent the day working in the glorious sunshine in Fenstanton completing a piece commissioned and designed by the Fenstanton Parish Council
It has been a pleasure to do what I love every day of the week and have time to spend with my family. I particularly enjoyed my day in Fenstanton thanks to the lovely locals and the gorgeous piece of wood I got to work with. It is such a lovely colour!
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20th April 2025
