I have been awarded an an artist's residency for 6 months from May to October 2017 as a sculptor at Stephen's House and Gardens, a trust in North London. The house (also known as Avenue House) is a large Victorian mansion, Grade II listed with 60 rooms, and the large 10 acre gardens include a number of rare and unusual trees and shrubs. I have been given a studio in the basement, with good natural light, and can use wood reclaimed from the gardens for my sculpture. In particular, a large 200 year old oak tree was lopped at the end of February 2017 due to rot, and I can use the large amount of limb pieces. The wood is green, and gradually drying and splitting. I feel very privileged to be able to carve whole pieces of tree, because in the UK wood is mostly in plank form (cured and dried), and thus I have previously only carved bas relief.
You can see a pictorial record (photos, movies, paintings) of my residency here.