Decorative art with real presence is hard to pull off, and this collection of Green Man and forest spirit pieces takes on exactly that. The maker sculpted wall plaques in relief, framed panels, and one freestanding bust, all meant to serve as decorative hangings and tabletop fantasy pieces, and they now sit in a tattoo studio where visitors see the work in person every day.
The construction varies a lot. Several sculptures sit on shaped wooden backboards, picture frames, or shallow wooden trays. My favourite is the hollow bust shaped like a tree trunk, complete with textured bark, branch forms, and carved facial features. Plaque designs mix oak leaves, acorns, mushrooms, twisted branches, and horns that grow into human faces. Two live-edge wood slabs keep their bark edges rough while the working faces are flattened and sanded; one carries a painted Green Man face, the other a wizard in monochrome, either woodburned or carved. Surface finishes run from painted foliage and preserved moss to faux-wood tones and gloss.
There is also a cardboard box of small unglazed castings: Green Man faces, mushrooms, pinecones, and leaf shapes in terracotta and bisque clay. These are raw parts or test casts set aside for assembly, firing, or painting later. The collection is clearly still growing.
The timeline says a lot: the earliest finished pieces needed 11 to 13 hours each, while recent ones come together in 4 to 5. Some pieces are done, others are drying or awaiting final touches. Earlier work cracked in the kiln; the maker glued those pieces, and the paintwork and sculpted forms now cover the cracks entirely, though the repaired pieces stay with the maker. One open point: the exact material of the larger sculptures is not stated, and how the boxed pieces were cast is never shown.