The Castle collection
Inspired by a love of trees and the landscape of North Wales, this collection grew from a lifetime of looking at Castell Caernarfon.
Growing up nearby, the castle has always been part of my everyday view, a strong shape against the town and the landscape beyond it. Its towers, walls and openings have become familiar forms, and I wanted to explore some of them through wood.
The sculptures are deliberately connected to the castle, but they are not intended as models or exact copies. I start with the forms I see in the architecture, then let the character of the timber take over. Sometimes I have a clear idea from the beginning; sometimes the shape only becomes clear as I work.
Each piece is made from cedar using cutting, fire, sanding and polishing. The fire changes the surface, while the work that follows brings out the grain and character of the wood.
The Arrowloops
Inspired by the arrowloops in the walls of Caernarfon Castle.
I have always been drawn to these small openings cut into the great walls. They are simple shapes, but they give a sense of what is happening beyond the stone, and of the strength of the walls around them.
I wanted to explore that contrast in cedar. The openings are cut into the solid form, giving glimpses through the timber while leaving much of its weight and strength intact.
The shape developed as I worked, with the natural form of the wood guiding some of the final decisions. Charring the cedar darkens the outside and gives the openings a different character, while sanding and polishing reveal the grain beneath.
The piece is a response to something I've looked at for much of my life. Not a copy of the castle, but a small part of its language, found again in wood.
cedar
£450
The Keep
This piece began with the shape of the timber. The tall forms emerged as I worked, following the grain and taking away what was not needed.
Its strength and height are drawn from the towers of Caernarfon Castle, a presence I have known all my life, without trying to reproduce them.
The charred surface is both tactile and purposeful. The fire speaks of the wood's transformation, but also of the conflict and history held within the castle itself. Against the blackened surface, the polished cedar brings the life of the tree back through.
cedar
£495
The Towers
This piece is perhaps the clearest expression of the collection's connection to Caernarfon Castle.
The two tall forms draw on the strong vertical lines of the castle towers, with the space between them suggesting a gateway or opening. But rather than reproducing the architecture, I wanted to let the character of the cedar remain visible.
The shape was deliberately sought, but not completely predetermined. As the timber was cut, carved and refined, its natural form began to influence the sculpture.
The result sits somewhere between a tree and a tower, which is where I wanted it to be.
cedar
£395
The Gateway
This piece draws inspiration from the openings, arches and passageways of Caernarfon Castle.
Rather than replicate a particular part of the castle, I wanted to create the sense of an opening within the form. The space cut through the sycamore draws the eye into the piece, while the surrounding timber retains its solidity and strength.
The form evolved as I worked. I had a sense of its direction, but the character of the wood also shaped the final piece.
The outside has been burned, leaving the sycamore dark and textured. By contrast, the interior has been carefully sanded and polished to reveal the grain. I am drawn to the relationship between these surfaces: one transformed by fire, the other revealing the character already present in the wood.
Sycamore
£395
The Watch
This piece explores the idea of the castle as something that watches over the landscape.
The tall, uneven forms take their lead from the towers of Caernarfon Castle, but I wanted them to retain something of the tree. They rise together, each slightly different, rather than forming a precise architectural shape.
Much of the final form emerged as I worked. There was a point where I could see what the wood wanted to become, and from there it was a matter of finding it.
The fire, sanding and polishing bring different qualities out of the cedar, from the deep charred surface to the warmth and movement of the grain.