Carving Out Change

Everything constantly changes. Adapting to these changes and challenges can lead to a creative and positive experience. When the cloistered courtyard at Matara was designed there was a massive beech tree standing in the line of the wall. Many would have chopped the beech down and built a straight wall, Geoffrey chose to build the wall around this spectacular specimen. A decade later the tree developed a disease and began to die, and so the three crane sculptor was born.

Five years previous an oak had died on the property. Recently returning from a trip to the Isle of Man, where he had seen beautiful chainsaw sculptures created from standing dead trees, Geoffrey was inspired to turn this limbed trunk into a work of art. He hired the sculptor Nick Barton, who had done the sculpting in the Isle of Man, to work his magic on the oak. While Nick was at Matara the first time creating the lady with the dove from the oak he also carved the praying buddha that sits watchfully beside the Dragonfly Pond.

Naturally he was commissioned to return to Matara to reinvent the cloistered courtyard beech. Inspired by the Asian nature of the cloistered courtyard he chose to carve three cranes. Cranes are an important motif in Chinese mythology symbolizing kindness, longevity and peace.

The time has come once again to commission Nick. The large tree that once housed the swing beside the dragonfly pond has been stricken with disease and rot. It’s limbs and branches now form a wall for a bird sanctuary on the edge of the woodlands, leaving a proud ivy covered stump. We are inviting our followers to put forward suggestions of what should be carved from it. Once the three finalists have been chosen by the Matara Team we will put it out to the public to vote on the final theme.

Please submit your ideas to tara@matara.co.uk by May 31st 2020. The stump stands about nine feet tall and is pictured below. We look forward to seeing your submissions.