Faẽla The Wickham Dragon
What began as a large beech trunk beside a road in Wickham became one of my most ambitious tree sculptures to date.
The design developed into Faẽla, a four-legged dragon rising from the tree, with folded wings, a long sweeping neck and steel horns. Rather than simply fitting a dragon into the available timber, I wanted the original tree to become part of the sculpture — using its shape, height and natural character to give the dragon a sense of scale and presence.
The project began with sketches and digital concepts before I started blocking the design directly into the standing tree. Working progressively from the overall silhouette into the anatomy, wings, scales and finer details allowed the character of Faẽla to emerge gradually from the timber.
The finishing details combine carved wood with steel, pyrography, colour and oil. Elder Futhark runes carved into the rock beneath the dragon read “Here be dragons”, adding another small piece of mythology to the sculpture.
The photographs below follow Faẽla's journey from the original tree and early designs through the carving process to the finished dragon.
From Tree to Dragon
Faẽla has become something of a local landmark in Wickham, attracting plenty of attention from people passing by — which is perhaps the best part of creating sculpture in a living landscape.
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I create bespoke tree carvings and sculptural commissions throughout Hampshire and beyond.