My process for wood sculpting involves a number of stages:

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• Idea. Usually an idea will appear and I will play with it in my mind, visualizing spinning it around to look at it from various angles. Sometimes the idea is sparked by the shape, grain, or irregularities of a piece of wood. Often the idea evolves in concert with a specific piece of wood. Where the idea is complex I will sometimes create a model in clay.

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• Rough blocking. After sketching out the rough shape on the selected piece of wood I use cross-grain cuts (with a Japanese pull saw, traditional hand saw, reciprocating saw or chain saw depending on size) and then hammer and chisel to remove large chunks.

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• Shaping: With hammer and chisel, rasp, or angle grinder with Arbortech planner or carver I work to a close shaping.

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• Rough sanding: Using rough grit (60 or 80) sandpaper or angle grinder with flapwheel or disk sander I make final shaping adjustments.

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• Fine sanding: Working by hand with progressively finer grit – 120, 240, 400, 600 – I work to an even surface, and for some smaller or finer sculptures move on to 1000 and 2000 grit paper.

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• Surface finishing: Using natural tung and orange oil I apply 3 or 4 coats, with the middle coats often involving burnishing (rubbing with very fine wet and dry sandpaper to create a slurry of fine sawdust, oil and carnauba wax) to leave a satin finish.

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• Mounting: For sculptures sitting on their own base, a felt layer is adhered. For sculptures with a separate base, holes are drilled in the sculpture and the base for an aluminium rod/pipe which is glued into the base. Bases are either selected natural stone or cut and ground marble.

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• Signing: Each piece is signed LeonesS with a diamond tipped etcher.

 

The whole process takes 20-40 hours per sculpture – which is usually spread out over a month (as there is only so much hand sanding one can do in a day!)

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