Last summer, July-August 2018, I was aked to do something with this holly tree trunk. The tree had died some years previously and my client had kept the tree trunk standing. I made some sketches imagining a relief carving wrapped around it. We arrived at a drawing we all liked and I got started. These summer months turned out to be some of the hottest ever known. I got a good tan and the wood started to crack as I carved deeper into it. The wood was still quite moist inside, something I could have anticipated but didn't. It would have been better to have postponed the work until the winter. However, once started I worked until the carving was completed and I filled the cracks.
