Branching Out is a project of the Liveries Wood Group: the Worshipful Companies of Carpenters,  Furniture Makers, Joiners & Ceilers, Turners, and Upholders, ancient Guilds of the City of London.

 The Group’s strong interest in wood leads it to support the Arboretum Trust, which is invaluable for environmental conservation, scientific research and education.

The Liveries Wood Group is extending an invitation to selected artists, actors, designers and other creative and imaginative people to transform a small piece of dead oak branch into a work of art, to be auctioned in aid of the Arboretum.They must fit into a box measuring (internally) 200 mm long, 100 mm wide and 100 mm high.  They have been painted, gilded, carved, embellished – there are no rules on style, the only rule is that the final result must fit in its box!

 

The illustrative pieces below are by Martin Grierson, Jason Muteham, Joey Richardson RPT & Andrew Varah. Contributions by Joanna Lumley, Jon Snow and others  will be added to this page when they are received .

Each work of art will be signed by its maker. It will be photographed and shown on internet sites, posters and flyers.  All the transformed branches will be displayed at Wild About Wood, at the Arboretum at Castle Howard, September 11-12th. Then they will be on show at Bonhams before being auctioned in September 16th. Proceeds will be donated to the Arboretum. Only a few pieces will be auctioned on the night. It will be possible to bid on line for most pieces shortly.

The Arboretum Trust (Kew at Castle Howard) houses 6,500 trees and woody plants.  Visitors, school children, conservationists and scientists flock to Yorkshire to see them.

 

The trees keep Britain’s woodlands alive. They are maintained by a few paid staff and an army of volunteers.  They need more money and resources.

“The major needs are for the nursery and the propagation facilities, and also the preservation of new and rare species, so that they can be saved for generations to come”

 

Professor Sir Ron Cooke, DSc, AcSS,

Chairman of Trustees,

Arboretum Trust

 Branching Out contributors include:

 

Joanna Lumley

Dame Janet Baker 

David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)

Tessa Sanderson

Bill Beaumont

Matthew Pinsent

Sarah Fabergé (designer - with Steven Dennis, maker) 

Tony Husband (cartoonist)

Professor John Oxford (virologist, with Tom Brooke, wood artist)

Alderman Michael Bear

Martin Grierson (furniture maker)

Andrew Varah (furniture maker)

Valence School GCSE students (school for severely disabled children)  

Philip Rae-Scott (winner of Arkwright scholarship - Design & Technology) 

Paul Ferguson (wood carver & gilder)

Vicky Rae-Scott (gilder)

Susan Dart (art teacher)

Students of Rosemary Meara (art teacher at comprehensive school) 

Stuart Mortimer (turner well-known and collected particularly in USA) 

Mary Butcher (Trade Adviser to Basketmakers’ Company)

Peter Ellis (Master Turner) 

David Bamber 

Fiona Kimm (singer) 

Binh Pho (renowned American turner) 

Joey Richardson (turner)

 

 

Jon Snow

Sebastian Conran

John Makepeace

Terry Molloy (Mike Tucker, Tree Warden in The Archers)

Tony Kirkham (Kew) 

Simon Howard

Sir John Stuttard

John Barber D.L.

David Savage

Guy Malllinson 

Saena Ku (wood carving tutor)

Jocelyn Burton (silversmith & goldsmith)

Margaret Garrard (turner)

Dr Malcolm Cobb (turner)

Matt Nicholls (designer working at Cockpit Arts Studios)

Piers Gough (architect) 

Rebecca Campbell (painter, decorated two of the current London elephants) 

Althea McNish (textile artist) 

John Weiss (jeweller & silversmith)

Toby Davies (furniture maker, Cockpit Arts Studios)

John Berkeley (box & puzzle maker

Paul Thomas (letter carver & sign maker)

Reg Hawthorne (turner)

Stuart King (turner and historian)

Katie Abbott (pole lathe turner)

Alfred Daniels

Jason Muteham