Tag Archives: award

Nature of Scotland Awards 2013

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designed, hand-made, bespoke, RSPB, sycamore, elm, Scotland, made in Scotland, awards, sculpture,

After all the hard work of the many conservation project teams nominated for the trophies, the ceremony for the Nature of Scotland Awards 2013 finally took place. The winners were announced  on 30th October  at the Sheraton Hotel, Edinburgh.  My involvement had been to design and make the actual trophies.

The brief had been to use sustainably sourced local timber. I chose to use Scottish elm and sycamore. The trophy  recipients details were all engraved directly onto the wood bases. The titles of the  award categories and the sponsors names were also engraved. The wood was then given an oil and lacquer finish, which felt good to the touch and was durable.

The Nature of Scotland Awards Ceremony

We were invited to the presentation ceremony where we had a lovely evening. It was great to finally see and meet some of the nominees whose names were engraved on the trophies, together with the RSPB team and volunteers, who had commissioned my work.      A more detailed report on the event and winners can be found here.

Nature of Scotland Awards 2013, elm, sycamore, Scottish, sustainable, hand made, bespoke, custom made,award design,

Nature of Scotland Awards 2013

 

A Cricket Ball

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 A recent Commission

laburnum, hand carved, woodturning, cricket ball, trophy, award,
Laburnum Cricket Ball

A recent commission was a cricket ball and base, both decorative.  It involved both wood turning and carving. Turning for the shape of the ball and the base, and carving the detail on the ball – 6 rows of stitching!  It is a copy of a 1937 match ball. This one is turned from Laburnum although Oak or a fruitwood would also work well.  It was made for a private client but I have put the image into the Trophies Gallery as it could be an excellent trophy or award for a cricket team or individual player.

New Trophy

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Presentation Chanter Stand

presentation chanter stand, bespoke, maple, rosewood, award, trophy, made in Scotland, engraved brass plate,

This presentation chanter stand was recently commissioned as an award for a piper completing a pipe majors course. The main base was maple, with two hand turned and carved rosewood columns supporting the chanter. A brass plate was engraved and fitted before being presented.

I borrowed a chanter from a friend who plays the bagpipes so I could get the curves right. I also used the borrowed instrument  for the photo.

The completed base was given two coats of Danish oil and finished with a satin lacquer to keep it maintenance free.

See some examples of my other trophies here. They were all made for special presentations for achievement.

The design of a chanter stand can be tweaked to allow for more than one chanter, for example. If you prefer blackwood or ebony instead of rosewood to match your chanter then that could be arranged. I only buy exotic hardwoods in small amounts for specific projects, and always from Cites certified sources. So it is always from a sustainable source.

The base could be carved or engraved directly onto the wood. The base could also be a different wood – oak, ash or elm are other good alternatives. You choose.