robert coia

Timber has always been a big part of my life. My father was a Wood Cutting Machinist so the feel and aroma of freshly cut timber has been a big part of my life for as long as I can remember.

I started Carving after I was involved in an accident in a battle re-enactment. I bought three small carving chisels and started carving Celtic love spoons out of old Beech chair legs to pass the time while I recuperated from the accident. A friend of mine had moved to the Isle of Arran. Whilst over visiting him he introduced me to an amazing woodcarver Marvin Elliott (http://www.sculptorcarver.com/). I showed Marvin the spoons that I had carved with my three carving chisel and he invited me to come and work in his workshop for a week to see what I could produce with full access to his chisels and power tools when he wasn`t using them. I carved a small Owl which Marvin sold in his shop. Then a large eagle which he also sold for me.

That week turned into a month then a year then two years. Marvin was so generous with his time,knowledge and incite that he really did fast track me. It was like an old-fashioned apprenticeship to a master carver. Learning so much more than I could have ever hoped to from books and journals.

As well as the carving I was also introduced to casting techniques in plaster and cold cast resin. We also dabbled in a bit of pottery. Marvin gave me a lot of tips on how to make it work as a business and even had me running workshops. It was an incredible fun packed adventure which is the basis of the business that I have been running ever since.