Chainsaw sculptor carves giant squirrels, owls and hawks for care home

A chainsaw sculptor has been creating a menagerie of woodland animals for residents at a care home in Wales.

Former art student, Paul Morris, who is part of Pendine Park Care Organisation’s gardening and maintenance team, has been enhancing the grounds of the care home by carving squirrels, owls and hawks. He is currently working on a grizzly bear.

Mr Morris discovered he had chainsaw carving skills quite by accident after deciding to have a go at making an garden owl for his wife’s birthday.

He said: ‘My wife has lots of porcelain owls that she’s collected over the years. And with her birthday coming up I decided to have a go at carving one using my chainsaw.

“I managed it, although it was quite a simple design, it was just a case of thinking about it and tackling the job methodically. It must have been a half decent job as my wife, Gaynor, loved it.”

He is currently working on a grizzly bear.

“Since that first design I’ve gone on to perfect my technique a fair bit and done all sorts of different designs from squirrels to owls and hawks to field mice. I really enjoy it and it’s very therapeutic. I completely self-taught to be honest,” he said.

Mr Morris who worked as a woodsman at the National Trust’s Erddig Hall in Wrexham for many years uses storm damaged trees as material for his Pendine Park designs.

He said: “We lost one tree to a storm and it had to be chopped down so I asked our head gardener, Andrew Jones, if he could leave me about six foot of the stump. I then designed an owl and used my chainsaw to complete the sculpture.

“I think it’s nice for the residents to have something different to look at especially when we are using our own damaged trees for the designs.

“The squirrel I designed was made out of a section of ash. We had to cut the tree down as it became infected with a disease but I managed to save a big piece of unaffected tree and used that for the sculpture.”

Head gardener Andrew Jones says the chainsaw carvings add magic to the grounds. He said: “Paul does an incredible job and I think residents, staff and visitors get something out of seeing these fantastic works of art dotted around the grounds.

“They look incredibly realistic, even if they are so big, and the fact they are made from the trees that grew in the Pendine Park grounds means something.

“Instead of the wood going to waste it’s been given a second lease of life and can be enjoyed for many years to come.”

Mario Kreft, owner of Pendine Park and chair of Care Forum Wales, who is also a big fan of the sculptures said: “I’m delighted to include these sculptures within the gardens and think they not only blend in naturally but they also add a new element to the overall garden design.

“Ensuring a beautiful environment inside our care homes and externally is extremely important and all our homes are set within substantial well-tended grounds.

“I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the bear when it is finished as it will have a very special meaning for me. My late father, Franz Kreft, travelled the world working as a bear and lion trainer and the sculpture will be dedicated to his memory.”

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