FAQs

How long do the willow sculptures last outside and how do you preserve them?

I always say an average of 5 years, but this depends on several different things. The sculpture will have a longer life if it is treated with a 50;50 mixture of linseed oil and turps substitute and the treatment is repeated around every six months. If you place the sculpture in a sheltered position away from rain or you bring it in over winter you will prolong it’s life. Willow is a soft wood and therefore it eventually composts. However you can content yourself with the knowledge that you have captured carbon with your sculpture and returned it to the ground (as long as you don’t burn it!)

Where do you get the willow from?

I grow a small amount myself, but I could never grow the amount I need. My main supplier is Musgrove Willows in Somerset, however there are a few suppliers in that region. There’s Coates English Willow Baskets and Somerset Willow

How is the willow prepared?

If the willow is fresh it needs no preparation. If it is dry it needs soaking in water. Different varieties need different lengths of time to soak. The willow I use the most needs a day per foot and so I am usually soaking it for 4 or 5 days as I usually use 4ft or 5ft lengths for most of my sculptures. If the willow has no bark, White or Buff willow, then it only needs a couple of hours

When is the willow harvested?

Willow is harvested when there are no leaves on the sticks, so usually between December and March. It can be cut down to the ground and will grow the same amount in a year. Most of the willow I use is a year’s growth.

Can you use the willow growing in my garden?

Unfortunately, usually not. Weeping willow is not flexible enough and gets quite brittle at the ends. Crack willow is not suitable for weaving. The varieties I use are specifically grown for basketry and sculpture, however if you have a variety that grows straight up when coppiced, give it a try!

How long do your sculptures take to make?

It all depends on what it is! A stag’s head for example will take me a couple of hours, but the larger pieces take days. A cow takes around 4 days, but that will be continuously working all day. This all excludes preparation time and then treatment time.

How do you get the different colours?

The colours are all natural. They are mostly made up of different varieties, however you can change the colour of the variety of willow by steaming it which I frequently do with a tube and a wallpaper steamer! White willow is fresh willow stripped of it’s bark and buff willow is fresh or dry willow boiled and then stripped of it’s bark.

Does it hurt your hands?

Not mine! However when I run workshops people do start complaining by about lunchtime! This is more to do with never having used your hands in that way. I do think you need a certain amount of strength in your hands to be able to manipulate the willow the way you want.