Carving Fragment

The piece of wood was collected from Holywell Dene in Northumberland after a storm. A huge branch had been torn off and a torn fragment had smashed to the ground. 

I instantly knew I wanted to do something with it.
The texture of the surface was undulated where the fibres of the wood had been ripped and suggested folds of fabric.

I tried to carve the surface without removing too much of the original shape and surface. It suggested to me the polychrome sculptures from medieval churches and soon became folds of fabric revealing a single foot protuding from the hem. 

The top part of the sculpture was more difficult to resolve but eventually evolved into the suggestion of flames which seemed apt to me since a bolt of lightening had brought the piece of wood down from the top of a beech tree.