Birds Unlimited
Brian Dawson ·
Tel 01827 830416 · Fax 07092 303700
I
started making birds in 1993. Prior to that I worked for a
large building services company for 14 years. Starting straight from
college I served a four year electrical apprenticeship, worked my way up the
ranks and was finally made a director. An ambition fulfilled.
So,
I was thirty five years old, had worked for one company all my career, was
thoroughly disillusioned, could see the huge building recession on the horizon
and decided to make the break. It was one of the best decisions I have ever
made.
I
am now poorer but happier. Simple.
The
inspiration for the first bird I ever made was from reading, for the umpteenth
time, Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Using a hammer and chisel,
the bird took me six days to complete and although crude in appearance, still
hangs to this day from the stairs landing at home where I work. Friends and
relatives loved it for its originality and gave me the confidence to approach a
local craft gallery. They
kindly agreed to hang it in their showroom and await public
reaction. The rest is history as they say.
Although
the design has changed little in principle, production methods and the quality
of the finished product have been transformed, as they had to be, due to trial,
error and the kind help and advice of other wood workers who took pity on my
ignorance.
Each
wing is hand carved from a solid piece of kiln dried hard wood, not steam
bent. Cutting the wing
from solid wood means that the lines of the grain follow the contours of the wing
giving a striking effect. The wood is then smoothed and sanded using
various grades of abrasive paper. Each pair of wings are
then individually balanced with the body as each piece of wood has its own
weight and characteristics. A lacquer is then brushed on to seal the grain and
after further sanding a wax polish is applied to finish the bird, allowing the
natural beauty of the wood to shine through.
I
work hard to achieve an elegant stylized bird, each with its own natural
individual colouring, with elements of engineering in the movement and the
tactile quality that is unique to wood.
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Birds Unlimited · Brian Dawson ·
Tel 01827 830416 · Fax 07092 303700