Fence post art by Richard Colbran

My Garden Friends

Richard says –  Over the last 20 years, a major interest has been the production and maintenance of out-door nature carvings for the local parks, making trail-markers and other interesting features for the benefit of the general public.

Seven years ago, when re-jigging our garden after a house move, we decided to add some small nature carvings on top of our own fence posts.

Suitable subjects were found, and wood selected from workshop oddments – oak, elm, ash, cherry, tulip-wood and mahogany.

Carving was mostly with conventional gouges and knives, and the best method of fixing them to the posts was that used for fixing walking stick handles, with an axial steel dowel embedded in epoxy-glue and sometimes a wood-screw to hold everything tight while the glue sets.  They have been finished with a variety of exterior PU varnishes or oil blends, none of which have stood up to  weather conditions, despite yearly attention.  Splits have developed in several of the earlier samples and some further repair work is needed

In the days when visitors were allowed in the garden, the carvings used to attract lots of interest, and as there are still a couple of posts uncapped the next subject may be a Covid-19 virus!

A memorial to the great lock-down!

Fox

Squirrel

Mouse

Hedgehog

Frog

Wren