Back in September I had the pleasure of travelling down to Chalfont St Peter for a commission. I stayed with my clients Gillian and Kevan at their stunning property while I worked on the commission. As well as being a fun commission, the place is incredible so I knew this one needed a blog! I documented my progress at the time (part one HERE), but I hope you’ll enjoy learning more here in this blog.
Keep reading to find out all about my beautiful koi sculpture for Chalfonts Captured…
INTRODUCING CHALFONTS CAPTURED
Chalfonts Captured is a multi-use location owned and run by Gillian and Kevan. It’s available for rent for photo and film shoots, and also hires space to local companies, such as dog training classes and a forest school. As well as various outdoor spaces they also have some indoor spaces available including their Christmas barn and production office. And if you need somewhere to stay while you’re shooting? They have that covered too!
As well as enjoying their land, I loved the heart and vision behind Chalfonts Captured. Gillian and Kevan are passionate about the environment, which is also something important to me and the rest of the Treecarving team. They care deeply about minimising their carbon footprint and using the environment in the most eco-friendly way possible.
In 2018 Gillian and Kevan partnered with The Woodland Trust MOREwoods initiative to create a new area of woodland along with the gardens, wildflower meadow and bluebell woods. You can often spot muntjac and roe deer, rabbits, and foxes as well as a rich variety of insects and birds.
Wherever possible they reuse, recycle or source quality second hand merchandise for their props and supplies.
The land isn’t just used for the business either. Alongside hosting shoots, they collaborate with local groups and businesses so they can use the land to support the community.
In all honesty, I could write a whole blog about the place – but that’s not why we’re here! So bookmark www.chalfontscaptured.co.uk to find out more and keep reading to find out about the koi sculpture…
COMMISSIONING THE KOI SCULPTURE
In November ’23 my clients celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary. The traditional 27th anniversary gift is sculpture, so they decided to buy themselves something for their garden. Like many couples, Gillian and Kevan have different tastes and ideas, so they knew it might take a while to find the right piece. However, by April, they still hadn’t found it!
By then they had a few trees that were in bad shape or badly placed and causing problems – including an oak tree near their koi pool. They decided to commission a sculpture and the search began for an artist.
It took them a while, but Kevan eventually found my website. He wrote to me (and five other artists) and invited me to quote for the job. Thankfully for me there were a couple of coincidences that led them to someone recommending they went with me. And here we are, one koi sculpture later!
CREATING THE KOI SCULPTURE
As I mentioned, Gill and Kevan’s problematic oak was by a koi pond, so they wanted their sculpture to include koi. This proved to be a bit of a challenge for me as fish aren’t the most dynamic animals and it’s challenging to create movement and interest in a fish! To offset that, I had to look at the composition as a way to bring movement into the sculpture.
Using water for the structure was also a challenge which was one of the reasons I stylised the waves using the Kanagawa wave as inspiration. It also reflected the Japanese connection and origin of the koi and tied the whole thing together nicely.
One advantange was being so close to the pond while I worked. It was great having live reference in the pond next to the tree while I was carving. And even with the adverse weather that week, the garden there is a really nice place to be working. Being surrounded by a green backdrop while I carved made it a calming atmosphere – despite the noise of the chainsaws!
TOOL TALK!
As always, I took a range of Stihl chainsaws with me for this job, including a couple battery saws. They’re lightweight, quieter than my petrol saws, and brilliant for getting in close for detail.
I also packed my Eder ESF1 carving cutter which I used for the scalloped effect on the waves. Once I had the scalloped shapes, I used the Harrycane chainsaw attachment and my Manpa Multicutter to create texture the inside curves of the waves.
I took my Saburrtooth burrs too, and they played a big part in creating texture and detail on the koi. If you regularly read my blogs, you’ll know they’ve really become an invaluable part of my kit over the last three or four years.
TIPS FROM MY CLIENTS
Commissioning a sculpture can be quite a commitment, especially if I’m going to come to your home to make it. There can also be some trepidation about the commissioning process.
I have a blog HERE with some things for you to consider when commissioning an onsite carving, but I also took this opportunity to ask my clients what advice they would give someone contemplating a commission:
- Do your homework by checking people’s work on their social media.
- Get quotes for the work including drawings or AI representations so there are no shocks and you get exactly what you planned.
- If it’s a collective then ask who will be doing the work as each person typically has a different styles.
- Check that you agree which way the main face will go if there is a dominant side.
- Basically, take your time deciding, as once you have chosen a sculptor, you are committed.
There are some great tips there for sure – thank you Gillian and Kevan!
KOI SCULPTURE: FINAL THOUGHTS
It was great to be able to create something special for this couple – and to get it made before their 28th anniversary!
If you regularly read my blog, you’ll know I like to finish with what my clients thought about both the finished piece and the experience of watching me carve their sculpture.
“As Simon moved in with us for the four days of the work we were able to watch him work most days. Simon worked in the sunshine and rain and it was fascinating to see the sculpture emerge in all its detail from the trunk. We were both thrilled with Simon’s work and the level of detail he managed to achieve – cleverly using texture to give the Koi the appearance of different colours. It will clearly evolve and change with the weather as the wood ‘matures’. He is a very talented artists and we love it.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story behind the beautiful koi sculpture for Chalfonts Captured, and many thanks to my clients Gillian and Kevan for their help with this blog.
If you feel inspired to commission your own sculpture, fill out the form at www.treecarving.co.uk/contact and someone will be in touch.