Sculpting nature from timber to treasure
Transforming dead wood into lively sculptures, Arnie Barton has become renowned as Norfolk’s remarkable ‘Roadside Carver’
There are many tools that might be used to shape and sculpt wood. None are seemingly less refined than a chainsaw, yet this is the tool of choice for skilled woodcarver Arnie Barton.
Using a chainsaw in all the ways you might usually avoid, Arnie slices, stabs and scratches wizened timber into expressive, intricate forms.
“I prefer starting with wood that has interesting features, like knots or splits. It gives me a face to work with,” Arnie explains. “I especially enjoy finding old roots and seeing what I can reveal within them. I’ve carved gargoyles, bearded men and even wood spirits - all those kinds of things.”
Arnie has produced an impressive array of commissioned and self-inspired pieces over the years. These include a redwood skiing man for a crazy golf course, a seven-foot-tall Warhammer figure made from four separate pieces of sweet chestnut and an exquisitely detailed replica of a buried Lynn Kiln, as well as the more common carvings of owls, foxes and bears.
“I enjoyed creating a sculpture of King Henry VIII on the site of his former deer park in Chelmsford,” Arnie says.
“The oak tree I carved it from would have been a sapling when Henry himself was there, and the sculpture saved it from the wood-chipper.”
In another remarkable project, Arnie transformed an oak tree into a replica of an Olympic-winning sailing boat. This particular tree had been struck by lightning decades after originally being presented to a gold medal-winning sailing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Arnie is proud to keep his repertoire of tools very minimal, with almost every element of his sculptures created using his signature chainsaw. “I start by making big cuts to block out the shape, then I use a smaller chainsaw to smooth it all out and add detailing,” he explains. “Right at the end, I’ll sand some of the roughness from the power tools away, grind in
the eyes and use a blow torch to
create shading.”
The artistry of Arnie’s work is astounding. He carves directly on the wood, using photos for inspiration. “I think about all four angles of the sculpture I’m going to create and then really study the pictures,” he explains. “The funny thing is, I can’t draw at all.”
Arnie is largely self-taught. Having had no interest in art at school, he first picked up a chainsaw with encouragement from his father, who had given carving a go himself. “He showed me a few basics like how to shape a mushroom and then left me to develop my own style,” he reflects.
After being made redundant from a job building luxury yachts, Arnie took his van on the road with nothing more than £10 in a birthday card and a plan to find somewhere to sleep. With the road nearly running out, he stopped in a layby on the A148 in Fellbrigg Woods near Cromer. “I set up and started carving,” he recalls. “A manager from the National Trust came along, so I explained what I was doing. They supported me by finding interesting pieces of wood I could purchase from them. It worked really nicely.”
Arnie places great emphasis on the sustainability of the wood he uses. “I source a fair bit from Felbrigg Woods and also from a local company that practices low impact forestry. After they’ve worked in the woodland, you barely notice any changes. They do a bit of horse logging and always work seasonally to protect nesting birds.”
Timbers such as cedar, sweet chestnut and leylandii are excellent for carving as they are less likely to split and will last a long time. Arnie also loves to use bog wood and roots, which have a rich fenland history spanning thousands of years and are unique to work with. He encourages anyone who has wood that might be suitable to give him a call.
Arnie never moved on from his coastal Norfolk spot and has become a popular sight for both locals and tourists. “I travel around a bit and participate in shows from time to time, but mostly I’m on the A148 where everyone knows me,” he smiles. “I live a simple life and I’m not out to make loads of money. It’s just great to work with my hands, creating new things that make people happy.”
Visit roadsidecarver.com to explore more work by the Roadside Carver or look out for Arnie carving
at his usual spot.