O.H.Boyd

As an artist I work in Lincolnshire Limewood grown on the Brockley Estate close to the village where I live.
The village has a great connection to John (longitude) Harrison, the subject of much of my interest and important work.

Wood is my medium of choice. Humans seem to have a spiritual affinity with it, perhaps because we are from the trees and wood was the first tool and art medium, but who knows? Whatever the reason, people tend to respond to wood in a lovely way and no matter what a mess is made, the beauty of the wood shines through in its own right.

Most sculptures are constructions, but carving is the opposite - it is a subtractive art and because of that wood carvers have to plan very carefully in advance all that we do and make the vision happen from that first concept. Sticking things on at the end would feel like cheating!

Along the way there is a sensuous nature to the act of carving and even after all these years I still get a kick out of it and am not alone in this so encourage people to touch the work, enjoying their response.

Whether this work is art or not I do not know. All I try to do is get the best representation possible and tell a story, pull a leg a little and make people think.