Martin Turner At the sign of the parrot

Carved work in the Palace of Westminster and other major houses in England can be seen under WOODCARVER

MARTIN TURNER
AT THE SIGN OF THE PARROT’
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - © 2008

I spent part of my working life as director of a creative consultancy in London’s Covent Garden. This means that while my approach to woodworking traditions is respectful, it is also somewhat flexible. I am strongly influenced by contemporary graphic design, art nouveau and art deco but my great love and inspiration is still the Italian renaissance.

I enjoy making commissioned pieces that blend ideas and art to give the piece a special, personal significance - for the person receiving the gift - and the person giving it...

Ideas fascinate and absorb me and the ideas I see so vividly in my mind I try to recreate in wood - they still don’t quite match what I visualise - but I’m working on it!

sometimes contribute a very special quality to a piece of sculpture in a way that other materials cannot. Any technical challenges it might present are a small price to pay for the special outcome that is possible.

Why wood?
Because wood is more tactile than most creative media, beautiful and often magical in what it reveals. It is sometimes wayward but this quality can