Designs in Wood

Robin Wood lives and works in East Lothian near Edinburgh, Scotland. He has always been interested in art and combines his natural talent with a background of working in conservation, woodland management and tree surgery.

The main tool of his trade is the chainsaw that is used to shape large pieces of timber, a necessity when working on a large scale. Once he has chopped out the excess material, Robin can get to work using powertools and chisels. It is only recently that he has been focussed on relating his sculptures to their immediate surroundings, complementing the landscape at the same time as recycling materials that would otherwise go to waste.

Being a skilled illustrator, Robin is able to provide potential clients with precise working drawings of his designs. This enables him to explain clearly the methods involved in each project down to the minor details such as fixings and installation. He likes to use as much of the natural timber as possible, including around the base, fixing steel tie rods for security where necessary. He works mostly on locally sourced Oak, Elm or Douglas Fir and the sculptures are finished with a good quality protective oil to give them durability in a sometimes harsh environment.

For most installations no cement is used where possible leaving enough timber attached to the base and steel tie rods for security with compacted hardcore for drainage. The timbers used for outdoor pieces are locally sourced home grown Oak, Elm or Douglas Fir. All of these materials are durable and hard wearing and finished with an outdoor quality protective oil.

His recent commissioned projects include the installation of three large ‘Star Chairs’ (Yird Muin Starn. Earth Moon Star) for Dumfries & Galloway Dark Sky Park at White Laggan bothy for visitors to view different aspects of the night sky. This project was funded by the Creative Scotland vital park scheme supported by the Forestry Commission. They are eight feet in height and sculpted out of oak.

Other completed projects include the EK Skatepark Playground Development at Glasgow where Robin helped to create new large scale outside play area. He also carved a 20ft pole for the TOTEM (tales of things electronic memory) Project as well as further projects for the Woodland Trust Scotland, Edinburgh Zoo and the Grassroots project. His sculpture of a Giant Panda is situated outside the new panda enclosure to mark the arrival of Edinburgh Zoo’s exciting new attractions and has proved very popular with visitors. If you wish to see more of Robin’s work please visit Robin Woodwork.