The Big Chiseller 2019 is OVER!
The Schoolhouse for Art (S4A) presented The Big Chiseller, the inaugural National Wood Sculpting Festival being in Enniskerry Village, October 11th-13th 2019...
Our first festival of wood sculpture brought more than a buzz to Enniskerry, it has left an indelible mark on our village by supporting local artists in our community and creating engaging & eco-conscious landmarks throughout the area which celebrate our sense of place! We hope our visitors had as much fun as we did!
Take a look at some of the amazing art exhibited, created & shared over the weekend…
The Big Chiseller is a Wood Sculpting Festival celebrating the magnificence and uniqueness of this masterful art form!
Over this captivating 3-Day festival, our Headliner Sculptors transformed salvaged deadwood trees located around Enniskerry Village, into iconic, monumental sculptures using chainsaw & chisel. In addition, Artists/Sculptors gathered under the Schoolhouse for Art canopy, and other key locations throughout the village, to demonstrate their woodcarving skills and showcase their work! It was a wonderful weekend.
Our concept of #Rewilding informed various ancillary activities including;
Our Sculpture Exhibition, Participatory Children’s workshops with Hazel and Wool and found forest products, Family-friendly Woodturning Demos, Life in the trees movie and more!
The Big Chiseller Festival which we hope to have as an ongoing annual activity will enhance our community's sense of place and will offer all visitors a visual, environmental and culturally significant experience. The inaugural festival supported the greater vision of developing Enniskerry as an art-tourism hub, through the establishment of a Wood Sculpture Trail that supports the movement of visitors through the village and the surrounding area.
By using in-situ and located naturally felled trees our Festival will support a wider environmental and biodiversity enhancing brief. The area has a rich forested, natural & mountainous topography lending well to such an event.
participate IN 2020
OPEN CALL FOR: SCULPTORS/ARTISTS, EXHIBITORS, DEMONSTRATOR/VENDORS
The deadline for our Big Chiseller 2020 OPEN CALL is open! Please keep in touch if you would like to get involved in our 2020 Festival!
MEET OUR 2019 BIG CHISELLERS!
We were delighted to bring together leading wood sculptors, wood carvers, wood turners & artists for The Big Chiseller Festival.
It’s time to meet our ‘Big Chisellers’…
rICHIE cLarke
Richie Clarke has been woodcarving for almost twenty years. A carpenter/cabinet maker by trade, wood carving has been a totally natural progression for him. Richie is mostly self-taught but counts himself lucky for having had some tuition from Chris Pye the master woodcarver. Artistic influences are mainly Celtic mythology and Irish folklore and fantasy literature such as Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Patrick Rothfuss and George R R Martin. According to Richie; ‘The beauty of carving a mythological figure is that it comes with an enchanting story and a cultural aspect that people can connect with’. Richie lives and works in Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.
If you’d like to see more of Richie’s work please visit his website http://www.rcwoodcarving.com/
PAUL FLYNN
Multi award winning sculptor Paul Flynn has studied natural form in detail on a professional level for many years. His art is influenced by Irish landscape, nature and its association with life, which in itself has a story to tell. He works in many materials, which vary from wood to stainless steel to create tactile sculptures with a uniquely strong graphical feel. His work forms part of many private, public and corporate collections across Europe, America, Australia and Asia.
For more on Paul, please visit his website: http://www.paul-flynn.com/
conleth gent
Con’s love of wood and working with wood can be clearly seen in each of his one off unique pieces. He is concerned mainly with personal expression through the use of figurative elements and abstract forms. Con’s is an individualistic approach communicating something of the character of the particular piece of wood and my interaction and relationship with it. Con lives and works in Glencullen in the Dublin Mountains .His work is collected widely in Ireland and abroad and can be found in private collections as well as University College Dublin, University College Cork and Griffith College Dublin.
He is a founder member of Signal Art Centre, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Con’s work has been presented to President Mary Robinson, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Environment Minister Dick Roche.
Con will be offering an introduction to woodcarving class at the Schoolhouse for Art this October - details on our classes and workshops page.
JOHN HAYES (Special branch carving)
John Hayes is a native of Waterford now living on the copper coast in a small village called Fenor. John started carving over five years ago, his first carving was called ‘The Tree of Hope’. Following some TV exposure on Nationwide news the world of woodcarving has gradually became his full-time career!
In 2017, John created the worlds longest Viking sword which was unveiled at the National Ploughing Championships in Ireland. John has since represented Ireland in major chainsaw carving competitions such as the World Championships, The European Championships and the US Open (to name a few!) competitions - in the regard he considers himself very lucky!
John also creates sculptures for private corporate and international clients.
RYAN MCNAIR
Ryan McNair loves to repurpose wood and natural objects to give them a new life! He is also a master gardener and spends as much time as possible outdoors, discovering fallen materials. Although he is American, Ryan has fallen in love with the Irish landscape and all it has to offer as creative inspiration!.
Ryan will be designing and building a Bug Hotel for the Village Sculpture Trail, generously sponsored by Enniskerry Tidy Towns. Ryan will happily share his ideas and information for anyone looking to build their own!
Bob Pritchard
Bob lives in County Wicklow and studied Art in Bradford where she began to work in Community Art. Bob moved to Ireland in 1989 and since then has been working in theatre, TV and film. Bob has always been a maker and worked with Macnas Theatre Company creating giant puppets, and on films such as ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ ‘King Arthur’ and ‘Dancing at Lughnasa’. More recently she has worked on the TV series ‘Tudors’ and ‘Vikings’ creating props and sculptures.
ELAINE & RONAN RUSSELL (NEWGRANGE WILLOW DESIGNS)
Newgrange Willow Design consist of Ronan Russell (pictured) and Elaine Mc Donagh. Ronan comes from a background of Forestry & Organic Horticulture while Elaine’s skills consists of Multimedia & Design. For this past 15yrs the couple have been using different wood such as willow, hazel, ash and other mixed media to create handcrafted beautiful objects.
Their work encompasses a wide range from baskets to sculptures to handcrafted land art and architectural installations. The challenge for Elaine & Russell’s work is to develop unique designs brought into physical form. In turn they hope to inspire others as, in their words, ‘we as humans have always used materials such as wood or stone to express our inner selves and carved and woven our imagining into life’.
VOLUNTEER
Thanks to all our volunteers this was the very first year of our Festival! We’re looking for all the help we can get to make this landmark event a success in 2020!
We are inviting applications from enthusiastic & reliable people with some free time to spend on a worthy cause.
Your help can range from anything from promotional work, stewarding, merchandising, to the festival ‘get-in’ and take down - whatever your skills, we want YOU to be part of the The Big Chiseller 2020 team!
Unfortunately we cannot pay our volunteers, but we do offer great fun, new friends and the chance to be a part of this historic event for the village of Enniskerry!
Volunteer Application CHECKLIST
Proof of Identification
A Statement of Interest - Why would you like to be a part of The Big Chiseller?
A List of your Skills & Preferred Duties (i.e. Stewarding, Promotional Work, Guiding etc.)
CV
Availability over the Festival Period (10th -13th October)
Paul flynn’s ‘the swan’
Originally inspired to take up art on seeing an illustration of "The Children of Lir" by PJ Lynch, Paul Flynn has created a homage to one of the swans as if gracefully rising out of the water to take flight. His approach is to release the sculpture from within its constraints. Over the course of the wood carving festival in Enniskerry, this year, he sculpted in front of a live audience to create this magnificent sculpture, hewn form a large tree which had come to the end of its natural life. Like a phoenix, it has risen up to give it a second life in the form of an elegant swan
Please enquire for price* - schoolhouseforart@gmail.com
*Funds received for this Sculpture will go directly to covering the cost of The Big Chiseller festival.
support IS STILL WELCOME
Become a Friend of the Festival
The Big Chiseller is generously supported by County Wicklow Partnership under the European LEADER Programme. We have also secured generous sponsorship from interested businesses and individuals who see the immense value of art and artists in our community. We simply COULD NOT have done this without their support!
If you would like to make a contribution to this community-driven initiative and help us continue to chisel in to the future, please support The Big Chiseller by donating and becoming a Festival Friend.
Each Friend is acknowledged on our website and will be treated during the festival to specially selected, environmentally-friendly gifts which will help you bring a little piece of our ‘Rewilding’ concept home! You can find us at the ‘Friends of the Festival’ table at the Schoolhouse for Art!
Reasons to Support to The Big Chiseller
The Big Chiseller Festival will celebrate our local area & resources, offering an experience which is visually, environmentally and culturally significant!
The Big Chiseller will have a lasting impact - following the amazing live sculpting of naturally felled trees, these iconic wood sculptures will establish Enniskerry’s own Sculpture Trail!
The Big Chiseller will support local and visiting artists, offering opportunities for sculptors, woodcarving demonstrators, workshop facilitators & craft vendors!
Help us to bring this exceptional event to leaf!…LIFE!
Join the ‘Big Chiseller’ Team! Chip in!
Follow Us!
If you would like to be updated on all things The Big Chiseller, connect with us!
Facebook @thebigchiseller
Instagram @thebigchiseller
Email whatsup@thebigchiseller.com
Follow our Festival with #REWILDING
programme of events - 2019 Was as follows. . .
DOWNLOAD THE FESTIVAL MAP AND OUR SCHEDULE TO EXPLORE ENNISKERRY AT YOUR OWN PACE!
SATURDAY 12TH OCTOBER
11AM | LET THE CHISELLING COMMENCE! OUR ‘BIG CHISELLERS’ SCULPT LIVE FROM 11AM TO 4PM ON LOCATION IN ENNISKERRY (CHECK OUR MAP FOR DETAILS!)
11AM | ‘REWILDING’ EXHIBITION IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART GALLERY FROM 11AM - 4.30PM (ALL WORKS FOR SALE!)
11AM | ROBERT O’CONNOR, MASTER WOODTURNER BEGINS THE FIRST DEMO OF THE WEEKEND IN SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART, STUDIO 2 (LATER DEMOS AT 12PM, 2PM & 3PM)
11AM | ‘LITTLE CHISELLERS’ FOUND & FORAGED ART MATERIALS EXHIBITION OPEN AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET FROM 11AM - 4.30PM
11AM | ‘REWILDING’ FACE PAINTING FOR KIDS AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET
11.30AM - 12.30PM | STORYTIME AT ENNISKERRY LIBRARY! LITTLE “TREE”-DERS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT
12PM | HAZEL & WOOL WEAVING WORKSHOPS FOR AGES 8-100 WITH GRÁINNE DOYLE AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET. LATER WORKSHOPS AT 1PM & 4PM (LIMITED NUMBERS!)
12PM | FOREST LANDSCAPE PAINTING DEMO BY ARTIST BRENDA MALLEY IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART GALLERY
3PM | ‘INCARNATIONS’ PUBLIC TALK BY BOG OAK SCULPTOR THOMAS FLYNN AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART GALLERY
SUNDAY 13TH OCTOBER
11AM | ‘BIG CHISELLERS’ ARE BACK IN ACTION CONTINUING TO WORK ON THEIR MASTERPIECES ON LOCATION FROM 11AM TO 4PM (CHECK OUR MAP FOR DETAILS!)
11AM | ‘REWILDING’ EXHIBITION IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART GALLERY FROM 11AM - 4.30PM (ALL WORKS FOR SALE!)
11AM | ROBERT O’CONNOR’S MASTER WOODTURNING DEMOS START IN STUDIO 1 LATER DEMOS AT 12PM & 2PM.
11AM | ‘LITTLE CHISELLERS’ FOUND & FORAGED ART MATERIALS EXHIBITION OPEN AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET FROM 11AM - 4.30PM
11AM | ‘REWILDING’ FACE PAINTING FOR KIDS AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET
12PM | FOREST LANDSCAPE PAINTING DEMO BY ARTIST BRENDA MALLEY IN THE SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART GALLERY
2-4PM | FOUND ART WORKSHOP FOR KIDS (AGE 5-10) WITH NATASCHA FISCHALL AT “THE LITTLE CHISELLER’S CORNER”, NO.1 MAIN STREET
3.30-4.30PM | SCREENING OF DAVID ATTENBOROUGH’S “LIFE IN TREES” AT THE POWERSCOURT ARMS INN
4PM | SCHOOLHOUSE FOR ART HOST AN AUCTION OF SMALLER SCULPTURES MADE BY OUR ‘BIG CHISELLERS’ IN AID OF THE FESTIVAL
CONCLUSION OF EVENTS FOR THE BIG CHISELLER 2019!
Please note, there will be photography at this event. If you do not wish to be included in any images which are used by The Big Chiseller/Schoolhouse for Art online or in print, please let us know.
the ‘LITTLE Chisellers’ foraged art competition!
Participation deadline : OVER!
Local Schools, and children’s groups in the Enniskerry area are invited to create a class/group piece for the Big Chiseller National Wood Sculpting Festival 2019 hosted by the Schoolhouse for Art!
This year’s theme for the festival is #Rewilding and we encourage you to gather your friends and class mates, and natural materials and go wild making a sculpture that expresses a love for nature!
The sculpture must be designed to last for at least one week- ideally longer and it must be built using only materials that will disintegrate and become part of the natural landscape, encouraging biodiversity (Ideally found forest products, wood elements, leaves, degradable string and so forth.)
Adults may assist children in the creation for safety purposes, but the design and majority of construction should be done and encouraged by the children. Please take photos and send them to us of you at work! Sculptures can be made from any natural materials including wood and Forest material, canes, sticks, willow, planks of wood sticks, twigs, as large as they like, as long as it is transportable!
If you would like to make a larger project in Situ- please contact us at the Schoolhouse for Art in advance. The finished sculptures will be on exhibition during the festival at
‘The Little Chiseller’s Corner’, No. 1 Mainstreet, Enniskerry Village.
There is an award for the Class/Group that is deemed with Merit.
Please download the information leaflet and application form here.
festival faqs
GENERAL
1. When does The Big Chiseller Festival take place?
The Big Chiseller takes place from Friday to Sunday, 11-13th of October, 2019.
2. Is there a charge to attend The Big Chiseller Festival?
NO CHARGE, NOT AT ALL. We know money doesn’t grow on trees!!
BUT - if you would like to support the work we do and contribute to The Big Chiseller, please consider donating via the button in our Support Us section, or by visiting our ‘Friends of the Festival’ table at The Schoolhouse for Art during the festival period.
3. What if it rains?
The Festival organisers are well aware of the changeable nature of our beloved Irish weather and will prepare for this eventuality with canopies for each spectacle and a number of indoor events.
4. Is the Festival accessible for wheelchair users?
Unfortunately the Schoolhouse for Art is not currently wheelchair accessible, we have a gravel path with steps indoors and outdoors. However the Festival will be taking place across a series of location - every effort will be made to ensure there are opportunities for wheelchair users to attend events.
5. Is the Festival suitable for Children, Teens & Adults?
Yes indeed! We warmly invite visitors of all ages and descriptions to witness this spectacular event, we will also run family-friendly workshops and activities.
6. Are there events specifically designed for children?
Yes, we welcome Little Chisellers to visit our festival and take in the spectacle (under their guardians supervision!)
In the ‘Little Chiseller’s Corner’ at No.1 Mainstreet, Enniskerry, you’ll find a host of exciting activities for kids including
-Exhibition of the ‘Little Chisellers’ Found & Foraged Sculptures (
-Wool & Hazel Weaving Workshops
-’Rewilding’ Face Painter
We will also have a special Rewilding themed Storytime Session at
Enniskerry Library from 11.30am -12.30am on Saturday 12th of October.
Please note, all our little ‘Tree’-ders must be accompanied by an adult.
7. How do I get to The Big Chiseller Festival?
There are many ways to get to Enniskerry, we would recommend car-pooling or hopping on the 44 Dublin Bus to save on carbon emissions.
If you are driving to the Festival from Dublin City - take the N11 southbound (Wexford). At approximately 19 km, take exit 7 for Bray South, Enniskerry. Turn left at roundabout, travel over flyover and rejoin the N11 northbound. Take the first left for Enniskerry Village (Exit 6a). Continue along the road to Enniskerry Village. Our premises is opposite the Clock tower, in the village square.
GPS Co-ordinates : 53.1928° N, 6.1699° W
8. Is there Parking available in Enniskerry Village?
Yes, free parking is available at the Bog Meadows, just after the bridge in Enniskerry.
9. Will there be Garda presence?
Yes, we want to ensure the security and safety of everyone attending and participating at this Festival.
10. Will there be photography/video at this event?
Yes, we will have a photographer at our launch and Husqvarna’s official cinematographer will be taking footage of our Chisellers as they work.
The public may be included in these videos, which may be used by Husqvarna or Schoolhouse for Art/The Big Chiseller for promotional purposes, if you wish to be excluded from this please let us know.
pARTICIPANT APPLICATION QUESTIONS
1. I am Under 18, can I still participate as an Artist, Facilitator or Volunteer?
Unfortunately you must be over 18 to participate as a Sculptor, Artist, Facilitator, Demonstrator or Volunteer.
However, we warmly invite Chisellers from 0-100 years old to witness the spectacle over the three days and engage in some of our all-ages workshops & activities!
2. When is the deadline for receipt of my application?
The deadline for receipt of all participant applications (types 1-5) is
FRIDAY 5PM, 30th AUGUST 2019.
Any applications received after this date will not be accepted, likewise incomplete applications will not be accepted.
3. Is there a charge to participate in The Big Chiseller?
There is no charge to submit application Type 1 (for live, large-scale public sculpting on-site), however your finished sculpture will be the property of The Big Chiseller Festival.
Type 2 & 3 Applicants require The Big Chiseller Membership, at a cost of €10, this can be purchased HERE. Applicants without proof of membership, will not be considered.
Type 2 Applicants (Exhibitors) will also be required to forfeit 25% of any gallery sales to cover the cost of hanging & administration.
4. Will I be paid to participate in The Big Chiseller?
Successful applicants in the Type 1 category (for live, large-scale public sculpting on-site) will be paid a set fee per day, with one day reserved for preparation of the sculpture and 3 days reserved for sculpting live for the public.
5. I have an idea for a creative, related activity but it does not fall into any of your application types, can I contact you directly with the details?
Of course! We would LOVE to hear from you, simply email whatsup@thebigchiseller.com with IDEA in the subject headline.
The 2019 Big chiseller WAs sponsored by…
