6,000 Year Old Oak Carving

A 6,000-year-old oak timber carved with a concentric oval pattern and zig-zag lines, recently discovered in the Rhondda Valley, Mid Wales, is thought to be among the oldest decorative wood carvings known from Europe.

Found by Heritage Recording Services Wales during the construction of a wind farm near Maerdy, the 1.7m long timber had been preserved in a waterlogged peat deposit, together with 11 other unmarked pieces of wood.

With one end apparently deliberately rounded and the other tapering slightly, the timber has been interpreted as a post, possibly marking a locally significant site or a tribal boundary, or representing a votive offering. Radiocarbon dating has placed it in c.4270-4000 BC, in the late Mesolithic or early Neolithic period.

‘Most finds from this period consist of stone tools, so to have a decorative carving, on wood no less, is very exciting,’ said lead archaeologist Richard Scott Jones. ‘We all put bets on its age, and people suggested Dark Age, Iron Age – but no one imagined it would come back as Mesolithic. We have since shown it to a number of Neolithic and Mesolithic experts, and they say it is a unique discovery.’

He added: ‘This period marks the transition between mobile hunter-gatherer groups and sedentary settlements. The timber was found by a stream edge on a small flat plateau, and if it is a post, it was probably marking something; maybe a sacred site, or a pool, or a nearby hunting ground – there is an ancient lake bed, which could have attracted animals, just a stone’s throw away – or some kind of boundary.’

Similar abstract patterns are known from Neolithic pottery, and from standing stones such as those at the Gavrinis passage grave in Brittany, or, closer to home, at Barclodiad y Gawres, Anglesey, Richard said.

Due to the rarity of such decorations surviving on ancient timbers, however, the team sent the oak timber to experts from the University of Wales Trinity St David, and Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust, to confirm that the markings were manmade.

‘We wondered if the lines could have been created by the larvae of oak bark beetles, but after consultation with palaeoentomologists, we are happy that these are not burrowing channels,’ said Richard.

He added: ‘As the timber is about 100 years older than the deposit in which it was found, this may suggest that the oak timber had been brought to the spot deliberately, and perhaps carved on site. If so, then that is a lot of energy to expend, which may indicate that the markings have a special purpose, rather than casual whittling.’

The oak timber is currently undergoing conservation with York Archaeological Trust, where it is expected to remain until 2014.

Source:  http://www.archaeology.co.uk

The World's Longest Wooden Sculpture

A wooden sculpture, featuring the famous painting "Along the River During the Qingming Festival," succeeds in creating a new Guinness World Record - "the world's longest wooden sculpture" - on November 14, 2013.

Chinese artist Zheng Chunhui spent four years creating the sculpture, which is 12.286 meters long, 3.075 meters high and 2.401 meters wide.

It’s no surprise that this incredible work of art is drawing so much attention. It’s amazing, but not just because it’s so big, but also because it’s so incredibly detailed.

Four years in the making, the tree carving is based on a famous painting called “Along the River During the Qingming Festival,” which is a historical holiday reserved to celebrate past ancestors that falls on the 104th day after the winter solstice. 

The original painting, referred to as the 'Chinese Mona Lisa' because of its fame, was completed during the Song Dynasty by artist Zhang Zeduan.It is painted on a hand scroll and was designed to be looked at by slowly unrolling the paper from right to left, an arm's length at a time, like an ancient comic strip.It is considered of huge historical importance as it documents the day-to-day lives of Chinese people, both rich and poor, 900 years ago.

Several later versions were created but with scenes added from the Ming and Qing times, in keeping with the Chinese tradition of contemporary artists reworking ancient masterpieces.

While Chunhui's version will be easy to distinguish for obvious reasons, it doesn't add any scenes from modern-day China.

On November 14th the Guinness World Records arrived in Fuzhou, Fujian Province where the piece is currently on display to declare it the longest continuous wooden sculpture in the world.

Shed of the Year 2013

Fighting fierce competition from over 1,900 creative garden dens, the Boat Roofed shed, owned by Sheddie Alex Holland from Machynlleth in mid Wales, has been crowned the winner of the 2013 Shed of the Year competition sponsored by Cuprinol.

Alex Holland comments: “I am absolutely delighted to have won the 2013 Shed of the Year competition sponsored by Cuprinol. The standard and creativity shown by the other entrants has been incredible so I am genuinely surprised to have reached the top spot! With the £1,000 prize from the sponsors Cuprinol I intend to buy a second hand 400w 12v wind turbine to augment the solar panel to give me enough electricity to make ice in the fridge for gin and tonics, and to ensure the cider and beers are always chilled. I’ll then be able to have a proper party to celebrate with those who have supported me in getting so far.”

The 14ft (4m) by 7ft (2m) structure is already solar powered with a gas cooker, fridge, sink and sound system used for parties. He charted the development of his project on Facebook

Mr Holland acquired the boat from his work at a boatyard and built the shed out of a need for more space.He has said it is full of "nautical nonsense befitting a boat turned upside down" in the Cambrian Mountains.

This year’s winner was selected by a high profile judging panel including Channel 4 property presenter Sarah Beeny, British designer, writer and television presenter Kevin McCloud, Shed of the Year founder Uncle Wilco and 2012 winner John Plumridge.

Tree Sculptures by artist Philippe Handford

These visually stunning sculptures by artist Philippe Handford turn illegally cut down trees into impressive artworks.

Philippe has essentially reconnected these cut up trees in an interesting way. These incredible forest sculptures can be found in Northwest England. 

Philippe started doing this in 2012 but has recently created more chopped down tree sculptures. The newest ones are done in arches that intersect with one another, as where Handford's first fallen tree sculpture looked more like a crawling inchworm.

These shots show off Philippe's beautiful works both in summer and winter. These sculptures some how look even more stunning when they are lightly covered in snow. 

Wooden sculptures are pretty common, but the idea of putting cut down trees back together in the woods is an extremely creative approach to wooden art.

Check out Philippe Handford's work on his web site below  :-)

http://www.handforddesign.co.uk

Bloomin' Clever Boxes

Most wood workers reading this will be familiar with the good old bandsaw box, the designs of which are many and varied and limited only by the imagination, but when I stumbled upon these gems from Ray & Kathy Sylvester I was absolutely gobsmacked, to call them puzzle boxes is in fact a bit of a misnomer as Ray & Kathy say on their website "these boxes are designed to put things in, not keep people out"

These beautiful boxes are fascinating with many interlocking pieces and secret compartments. although from Derbyshire UK. Ray will travel as far as Edinburgh to select the appropriate hardwoods for his art.

A personal favourite of mine from his collection is his 'Natural Top' boxes. Take a look at this video example:

Now watch the man himself in action, it's not hard to get your head around the principle but the precision is amazing, and how the hell does he remember how each piece goes back together ?!

The perfect gift for any gender and any age so head along to Ray & Kathy's web site  Temima Crafts  for more information   :-)

http://www.temima.co.uk