Tommy says he learnt his skills with a chain saw from felling trees. He started carving using those skills and an interest in Art dating back to his school days. All his carvings are made from naturally fallen trees or those felled for woodland management purposes. He uses a wide range of tools on the sculptures, but the chain saw remains the most used tool.
His sculptures are usually done on site, and he is willing to travel nationally from his Consett base, but more recently he is keen to do more and more in his local studio. Likewise, he gets lots of requests for wildlife-based subjects but is keen to develop his interest in the human form and complete more people-based sculptures.
It was a privilege to photograph Tommy and spend some time with him whilst he worked, I love his thought that by creating his award winning sculptures he is giving a second life to a tree.