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Earlier this week, with thanks to funding from the artist network bursaries, I spent two days with Zoe Gernter, a local wood carver. I was there to learn some basic wood carving skills. I have loved working in wood since I was a teenager and spent seven happy years in Mr. Logans Design & Technology room at my secondary school. Mr. Logan was one of those life changing teachers, and the skills he taught me are why I am brave enough to build my van. But they need planks of wood and power saws, and I wanted something else.
I decided to learn wood carving within days of dreaming up my van. Every material I have learned to sculpt in so far is decidedly unsuited to use in the van. Wax, plaster, jesmonite, bronze. Each one is messy, stains surfaces, needs a dedicated space or a furnace or gets dust everywhere. Wood on the other hand makes wood chips and saw dust that are easy to sweep up and pop into a fire. It can be done sitting outside, or at a table, and the raw material is easy to find and simple to store. It seemed the perfect way to continue sculpting on the road, but I had no idea where to begin.
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