Matthew Crabb (born Matthew Stuart Crabb on September 29, 1983) is an English

chainsaw carving The art of chainsaw carving is a fast-growing form of art that combines the modern technology of the chainsaw with the ancient art of woodcarving. The beginning of the art form The oldest chainsaw artist records go back to the 1950s, which incl ...

artist.

Early life

Born in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...

, he currently lives and works on the edge of

Exmoor Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. ...

. Crabb's interest in Art was leading towards a career in

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscipli ...

, but took a twist whilst he was working in a

power tool A power tool is a tool that is actuated by an additional power source and mechanism other than the solely manual labor used with hand tools. The most common types of power tools use electric motors. Internal combustion engines and compressed ...

hire shop. Here he became interested in

chainsaws A chainsaw (or chain saw) is a portable gasoline-, electric-, or battery-powered saw that cuts with a set of teeth attached to a rotating chain driven along a guide bar. It is used in activities such as tree felling, limbing, bucking, pruning, ...

and their potential in sculpting art. Initially Crabb drew his inspiration from his rural backdrop, with many

sculptures Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

taking the form of

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...

scenes. Crabb also experimented with

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

.Exmoor Chainsaw Carving
/ref> Crabb is best known for his record-breaking 9 metre high

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

, commissioned by Lord James Welsh and Countess Ingrid Zerfowski, as a centrepiece for the "Healing Castle" at

Schochwitz Schochwitz is a village and a former municipality in the district Saalekreis, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it has been part of the municipality Salzatal Salzatal is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, G ...

in East

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

during 2010/11.

Style

Crabb's carvings are sought after as both

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

pieces and for use in outdoor spaces. Crabb's unique and spectacular carvings are created straight from his

imagination Imagination is the production or simulation of novel objects, sensations, and ideas in the mind without any immediate input of the senses. Stefan Szczelkun characterises it as the forming of experiences in one's mind, which can be re-creations ...

, often inspired by the particular properties and characteristics of the wood he is working with and therefore no two pieces are ever the same. Crabb also sculpts in situ, creating art from fallen trees, or tree stumps. His work on the Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens in

produced some beautiful wildlife scenes. Crabb's more recent pieces have taken on mythical/fantasy theme.

Method

Crabb uses various sized chainsaws to sculpt his art, starting with large blades to remove large sections of timber moving down in size until he requires small chainsaws for the precise details.

Current work

For the Sandringham Cup chainsaw carving competition in August 2011, Crabb brought to life ''Duelling Dinosaurs – Raptor v Brachiasaurus''. In August 2011, Crabb entered the English National Chainsaw carving competition at the Cheshire Game and Country Fair at

Tatton Park Tatton Park is an historic estate in Cheshire, England, north of the town of Knutsford. It contains a mansion, Tatton Hall, a medieval manor house, Tatton Old Hall, Tatton Park Gardens, a farm and a deer park of . It is a popular visitor attr ...

, against 35 of the world's top chainsaw carvers from Japan, the USA, Australia, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, Russia, Uganda and the UK. He had 3 days to complete a large original sculpture. Although Crabb achieved second place beating the world champion, at the end of competition auction his "Dragon's Mouth Throne" fetched twice that of the carving awarded first place, sparking a debate on

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

. This earned Crabb a feature in the October edition of Field and Rural Life Magazine.Field and Rural Life Magazine
, October 2011. Between commissions, Crabb is currently finishing a fantasy dragon's head. Crabb is planning a series of fantasy creatures' heads.

Appearances

Crabb has appeared on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's '' This Morning'', creating simple carvings for Irish landscape designer and television personality

Diarmuid Gavin Diarmuid Gavin (born 10 May 1964) is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He has presented gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show on nine occasions from 1995 to 2016, winning a number of medals, including gold in 2011. He has also ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crabb, Matthew English sculptors English male sculptors Living people 1983 births Chainsaw sculptors