ferro quercus - the making of a barbed wire oak.

Having recently moved back to Sussex to look after a friends dogs and country house for a month, i find myself back in my childhood forest, miles of deep woodland dotted with small ponds and lakes....heaven! Home! On my many excursions exploring half remembered paths i often find little objects i collect to use in my work, a small mossy stone, a twisted honeysuckle stem.....or in this case, long lengths of rusty old barbed wire from a forgotten boundary line. I broke off and gathered up as much as i could find, initially thinking of weaving a basket or little nest from it. having bought it home and looked at it for a while i was inspired to make a small tree sculpture from it, i like the idea of using something that was intended to keep nature and bay to make a natural form, something man-made into the illusion of wildlife. I have always loved the art of Bonsia, the patience involved and skill to make a tiny tree appear as a perfect miniature of its full size relatives. Originally inspired by the stunted and twisted trees found perched on windy mountain-tops, clinging on for dear life! 

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The wire is very malleable, very old rusty steel. The little spikes have half rusted but instead of making them blunter, the outer rust peels away when touched exposing a razor sharp core inside....a total nightmare to weave and sculpt with but i like the challenge.  I decided the best way to start was by tying the lengths of cut wire around a log and holding it in place with rope. I then twisted the wire together in twos either end so when the log was removed you were left with the hollow trunk of a tree where the branches and roots could be formed and twisted from the top and bottom. Once a rough tree shape was made i needed a base for it to sit on before i could continue sculpting. I originally thought i would use a mossy iron-stone that you find in these parts, i walked for a few hours looking for the perfect stone but instead stumbled across a large twisted mossy tree stump. It was perfect, very dramatic and sculptural, the moss on it looked like sea grass on a cliff edge. 

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This is as far as i have got so far with the sculpture. I decided to make it appear to be swept by the wind to give it movement. I even left it out in a storm to be blown and swayed naturally. I have begun experimenting with wiring small branches onto the wire ends of the branches, i have used rusty wire and carefully attached them individually, at a glance it is hard to see where the wire ends and the natural materials start. It is quite a large sculpture and i am mindful of having to fit it in the car to bring to the studio to finish. I think this is the piece i will use for the London show and if i carry on much more it wont fit in the back seat of my car. I will attach more branches and use barbed wire nails to attach it permanently in place on the log. Once this is done i will experiment with positioning and how to display the piece, whether to use a plinth or if i need to make something bespoke for it to stand on. 

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