NEW BURR SCULPTURE

I've just polished up this most amazing burr - or piece of wood with many burrs all over it, more correctly. Quite unique - I've never seen anything like it before. I scooped out the middle as well, so it can be useful as well as being an amazing sculpture in it's own right. My thoughts are that it could be used as a stick/umbrella stand, or pot plant holder. Definately New Zealand native timber, but not quite sure which. Probably a beech (tawhai) of some sort, as they are most common around here, but hard and smooth, like pohutukawa to work. It came off a local Hawkes Bay beach.

NEW SCULPTURES FOR KURA AUCKLAND

I just dropped some beautiful new sculptures off to Kura Gallery in Auckland including a large tawhairaunui (red beech) matau (fish hook) with muka cord and greenstone (jade) sinker. These are proving to be very popular, and this one in particular is a beauty. The wood was given to me from Te Horoto marae, so it's kind of special too. As fishermen were the providers for the community, the matau represents abundance and prosperity. There's also a smaller matau, as well as a huge tawhairaunui burr which I've carved korus into, and inserted a greenstone. Korus represent new life, as they are the budding fern fronds. A new tawhairaunui burr bowl with a paua insert, and beautiful swamp kauri korus. The kauri is about 30,000 years old.

SCULPTURES IN THE DAFFODILS

I've just delivered three sculptures to "Taniwha Farm" just south of Waipukurau. They are having a "Sculptures in the Daffodils" exhibition through September.

One sculpture is a new rendition of Uenuku, a rainbow God inspired by a Tainui artefact of the same name. It is made from macrocarpa and stands at about 7-8 ft tall (2m odd). I almost exclusively carve New Zealand native timbers, but I make the odd exception with an occasional macrocarpa outside sculpture because macrocarpa doesn't take up moisture so it will never go rotten, and because I was given a huge piece of macrocarpa driftwood (my source) which I have already made 2 scuptures out of, and had this piece left over.

The second sculpture I've delivered to Taniwha is a tuatara made from an old driftwood puriri burr. It's been a lizardy looking thing at the back door for two or three years, and I recently got inspired to morph it into a tuatara (for those non New Zealanders, a tuatara is a New Zealand native reptile which has survived from the time of the dinosaurs).

I've put exterior marine grade varnish (3 coats) on both of these sculptures.

The third is called "In memory of Shrek and The Dog". Again for the non kiwis Shrek was a sheep found in the mountains of the south Island which had evaded the musterers for 7 years, so had a huge wool growth, and became a world wide phenomenon. He died recently, and "The Dog" is a cartoon character, another New Zealand icon by Murray Ball who retired him a few years back. Unfortunately I forgot to photograph this one so will have to post photos later, but here's some of Uenuku and the Tuatara.

NEW CARVINGS FOR KURA AUCKLAND

I've just sent four beautiful carvings up to Kura Gallery (Lower Albert St) in Auckland. They'll probably arrive in the next day or two. Two whale tails - one large (about 1.3m high) - both carved out of very different looking tawhairaunui (red beech). Also a very large bowl made from tawhairanui burr wood with a paua insert, and a very nice middle size (about 600 high) matau (fish hook) once again tawhairaunui with a flax cord and a very nice piece of pounamu (jade) as a sinker.

Cheers.

Paddy.

Kahurangi Jade Matau

I've just done this beauiful Kahunrangi jade matau with a tawhairaunui (red beech) burr base, flax cord and Kahurangi jade sinker.

NEW LIFE

I've just finished a beautiful sculpture/carving made out of this old narled bit of red beech covered in burrs (about 6 ft tall). The grain of the tree seemed to swirl around the burrs, so I used that feature to carve koru (fern fronds). Using a little trick using different oils and different layers, I highlighted to korus so they stand out from the rest, looking new emerging from the narly old wood. Koru mean "new life" in New Zealand, which is also appropriate because, as well as the korus emerging, I've given new life to this old bit of wood

STUNNING MARSDEN FLOWER JADE

I've purchased some beautiful top gemstone quality Marsden flower jade lately. This is New Zealand greenstone from the Marsden district in the South Island with a characteristic orange coloured rhind. I believe it's the only place in the world that you get jade of his colour. The green in the top quality jade is either dark kawakawa colour or beautiful emerald green. Somtimes it is mixed with other shades of green, which is both interesting and beautiful.

I have just started carving it with spectacular results. Watch this space! :-)

The piece in the window I got cut really thin to show off it's beautiful translucency.

I have also carved a beautiful inanga heart, which was natually formed in the stone, and set it in again a naturally formed red beech (Tawhairanui) burr heart. Inanga is a lighter shade of green jade fom the sacred Arahura river.

Enjoy.