FIRST PERSON: Chainsaw sculptor Adam Humphreys

“I SEE myself as a sculptor rather than an artist.

I have been carving for five years now but never really studied art, apart from at A-level.

I always wanted to be a stunt man because I was always good at falling off horses.

Growing up at Usk Castle and on the family farm, my family have stood as caretakers for more than a century, meant that I did a lot of riding.

As a family we are quite deep-rooted in our home and I was very lucky to have grown up here.

Growing up I had little confidence and wasn’t very good at academia due to my dyslexia.

I went to a Steiner primary school, before going into mainstream school aged 13.

I blame my dyslexia for all the good things I have. Without it I wouldn’t have looked at the other options, which have led to my unconventional but exciting path.

I am a strong believer that you play the cards you are dealt and in my case I found out what my high cards were by accident.

I never thought carving would be a lifestyle but I’m lucky I have found something I enjoy and can build a career out of.

My dad is a woodsman and farmer, so I was born with an affinity for trees and timber.

At 16 I learned how to use a chainsaw to cut trees on the farm, which served as good grounding for my wood carving.

I’m fortunate to have so much inspiration and so many resources around me. What began as expensive firewood has become my calling card.

I worked on my first sculpture when I was 18.

I was performing a tree surgery job for my friend’s father who wanted trees cut down.

On the last tree I decided to carve a horse’s head while eight feet up and he really liked it, which inspired me to carry on.

I studied outdoor pursuits and recreation management at university in Worcester.

It was a good time for me and I got into adventure sports that helped build my confidence.

I then taught outdoor pursuits and held a work placement for the Prince’s Trust in Pembrokeshire. I found it immensely rewarding working with disadvantaged youths.

After university I took a late gap year and continued teaching myself to carve sculptures using a chainsaw.

I saved up enough money to buy a one-way ticket to Australia, planning to go for a year but staying for just over two and a half.

I went travelling but soon ran out of money and worked as a labourer on a farm.

I did some carving while there and was eventually taken on by a world-renowned glass artist, Peter Crisp.

I worked with him at his New South Wales-based gallery and property, aptly called The Crisp Galleries, located just out of Yass near Canberra.

Peter, who bought me a chainsaw, suggested holding my first exhibition in 2010, which proved a great success.

Others followed, including the prestigious Artisans in the Garden, a showcase of Australia’s best up and coming artists in Sydney’s Botanic Garden.

My carvings are mostly figurative, and I like to incorporate a lot of movement, especially in my animal pieces.

My largest piece was a horse lying down and it was hugely encouraging when it sold.

I spent the following months immersed in my carving, focusing on building my skill level and challenging my artistic boundaries.

After my first exhibition for the Crisp Gallery I took off travelling, working in a chalet during the Australian ski season before trying my hand as a cowboy, mustering cattle on a Queensland ranch.

I then stayed with my Australian now-girlfriend Emily, whose father works in the polo industry training horses.

I love working with horses and took the opportunity to do so, furthering the equine influence in my artwork.

I guess you could say I have always enjoyed an adrenalin rush.

I was 17 when I became champion at the Llanthony Rodeo, riding the wild ponies.

That served as a good pre-requisite to Australia where I got into it in a serious way, sitting on the back of an angry bull at a country rodeo.

It was so exciting but it turns out I am terrible bull rider.

I had to stay on for eight seconds to get a score but only managed five and a half before hitting the dirt.

I was hooked and entered another, but got my hand caught in the rope, tearing all my muscles in my shoulder.

It was a reality check to show that if I get injured I can’t carve. So continues the life of the self-employed.

Since returning home from Australia two years ago I’ve climbed Mount Mckinley, the highest mountain in America and one of the coldest in the world.

It was such an achievement to reach the summit with no guides, just two friends and myself.

We spent 19 days on the mountain pulling our own sledges, building an ice den every night to sleep in.

It was one of the most physically and mentally challenging things I have ever accomplished.

Sadly, three people were killed by an avalanche while we were on the mountain; again, a reality check on the fragility of human life.

I held a solo exhibition at Usk Castle last year, the first for me on home soil.

It was nerve-wracking but was well received, and I am so grateful to the local community for supporting me and turning up to watch my daily carving demonstrations.

People bought my work, which was the ultimate compliment and investment.

I have continued with my carvings, creating a number of sculptures in private homes as well as commissions from institutions such as The National Trust.

Most recently the Royal Horticultural Society approached me to create a sculpture for the Duchess of Cornwall to present the town of Usk for its Britain in Bloom contribution.

I carved a butterfly, the emblem of Usk.

I had very short time to do it and was a bit apprehensive but it’s not the sort of commission that you refuse.

I was there when it was unveiled before the Duchess who then presented it to the town.

She was lovely and I was touched that she took the time to talk to me.

I source the timber for my carvings from the woods planted by my grandfather after the First World War and tend to use cedar, oak, Lawson’s cypress and Californian redwood.

There is a lot of technique required to carve in this way, but being self-taught I would say knowing how to use the chainsaw first is a pretty integral component to the process.

I like to sketch out what I’m going to carve before I get started. I say to people that I’m pretty confident I can get the breed and the unique mannerisms of a commission, but my work is an interpretation, not an exact replica.

That’s the challenge. Detail is limited using a chainsaw but expression is very important.

One of the hardest pieces I have carved is an interpretation of a poem by Tennyson using a 50-foot-high evergreen tree in Salcombe, with the help of scaffolding.

I like to think I’m creating something that will be around for a while – I want to make an impact.

I’m just going to keep on expanding my art, explore different mediums and continue to carve it up.

I would like to continue to travel in my work, and work in different mediums, potentially in television.

Carving could make a great TV programme.”

l Find out more about Adam at castlecarvings.com