Rebecca Hind working on her latest OneOak watercolour
Artist Rebecca Hind was first featured in October 2009 when we watched her working on watercolour sketches of the OneOak tree in the woodland – read here.
We visited her studio recently to see what progress she had made and were amazed that she has produced no less than five separate paintings. Her beautiful watercolours feature the OneOak tree in various conditions and perfectly capture the seasonal changes in the woodland.
We are excited to be working with Rebecca to showcase her work in the OneOak project during various shows and exhibitions later this year.
“Having gathered visual information about the OneOak in my sketches whilst it was still standing, I have now had time to start working those images into finished paintings. They represent the tree under various conditions of weather, light and season and show its various appearances in the changing forest. Next, I shall visit and paint the clearing as it grows from winter to spring and then summer, feeding on the increased light that floods the space in the absence of the OneOak’s canopy.“ Rebecca Hind, March 2010
Following the recent sawing of the OneOak tree at Deep in Wood sawmill, we have catalogued all 35 of the boards cut from the tree’s three main lengths. Future users of the timber can now browse and select their wood based on its dimensions and qualities. To view the online catalogue click here.
OneOak first length
OneOak second length
OneOak third length
OneOak first length boards
OneOak second length boards
OneOak third length boards
You can also view our film of the sawing process at Deep in Wood sawmill below and see all our films on our new film page.
Writer and radio producer Cathy Fitzgerald recorded an interview between Blenheim forester Nick Baimbridge and his son Ben, immediately before the tree felling.
Cathy makes audio tours for museums and galleries and is currently working on a radio documentary for the BBC about magic carpets.
She says that she is interested in OneOak because “I believe in valuing the resources around us – and it was a good chance to mess around in the mud!”
Our fantastic voluntary film crew have produced a new film of the OneOak felling. Eight hours is condensed into just four minutes, capturing the peace of the woodland at dawn and then the arrival of 250 children and several hundred guests to watch the felling. Watch as the tree surgeon scales the tree to prepare it for felling, then the tree felling itself . Afterwards the forest scientists descend on the felled tree to start their work weighing every branch and twig, and many of the future wood users gather to look at the OneOak’s timber for the first time and discuss its qualities.
With our thanks to Charlie Beesley, Chris Baines, Bryn Walls, Sarah Simblet and Conrad Weiskrantz.
Today we reached a major milestone in the OneOak project as the OneOak tree was sawn at Deep in Wood sawmill.
the first ’slab’ is removed from first timber length
sawing of the first length is completed
sawing of the third length is completed
The OneOak tree reconstructed as sawn timber
John and James Binning, Deep in Wood sawmill
half way through sawing the first length and the boards look promising
Owner and sawmiller James Binning invited some of the future users of the wood to watch the sawing. Guests included Joe Bray and 13 students from Rycotewood Furniture Centre, green wood furniture designer-maker Rodas Irving, timber framer Norman Guiver, and Chris Mills from Upton Smokery. The foresters from Blenheim also came to watch their tree being milled.
Our main advisor in the wood aspect of the project, Philip Koomen, was on hand to advise on how best to cut each of the tree’s three timber sections. We all waited anxiously as the first 4.5m long section was cut into for the first time. It is never possible to know how good the timber in a tree will be until it is sawn. It could be that after 160 years of growing in the woodland at Blenheim, and a year of planning in our project, that the timber may have been of poor quality!
We were delighted and relieved that, as board by board was sliced off the giant logs by the super powerful bandsaw, the quality of the boards was excellent. In the trade they would be called “low grade character timber“. Expert Philip Koomen was surprised by the quantity of usuable timber and delighted by some of the figuring and colouring in the boards. For many of the potential uses of the tree this will help in bringing extra value and beauty to the objects.
Now begins a patient waiting game. The boards were put back together one by one to reform the log with sticks in between. They will now be kept this way and allowed to air dry. The usual rule of thumb is one year for every one inch (26mm) of board thickness. We will need to wait until 2012 for the larger boards to air dry, although the thinner boards will be ready for use in 2011. Other boards will be used sooner still – by green wood workers – and we look forward to seeing our first manufactured products later this year.
Sawmillers James and John Binning from Deep in Wood sawmill brought their forwarder and heavy lifting equipment to extract the OneOak timber today.
In contrast to the weather on the day of the felling, Blenheim’s woodland was bathed in glorious winter sunshine. They lifted the three main lengths of timber from the OneOak tree onto the trailer. A large bent branch that we hope will become the brace for a timber-framed building was also taken away. The branches that remain in the woodland will be used by craftspeople, who will come to select what they need to make dozens of small items. A sculptor, a firewood merchant and a bioenergy company will also be selecting what they need from the remains of the tree’s crown.
The woodland looked so different than before, now that the OneOak tree is absent. The eye was drawn to the space at its centre. But nature was already visibly repairing itself. The leaf tips of bluebells were emerging, and woodland birds were in full song. The sight of the laden forwarder disappearing down the rutted forest ride was very poignant. The end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Any thoughts of sadness at the loss of the tree will now turn to joy as we start to celebrate the creation and beauty of wood. Gabriel Hemery, Project Leader
The timber was transported to Deep in Wood sawmill, just 12 miles away from the woodland. On the journey, the trailer was taken to a weighbridge where the massive logs were weighed – just over five and a half tonnes. The weight of the main stem was the last piece in the jigsaw for scientists from Forest Research, who spent two days after the felling weighing every branch and twig, in a massive effort to calculate the total tree’s weight.
OneOak by Sarah Simblet - photograph of drawing in progress
Oxford-based artist Sarah Simblet has been working with us to capture the beauty of the OneOak tree. We are privileged to have had a sneak preview of her unfinished drawing of the OneOak tree. It perfectly depicts the grandeur of the OneOak tree and the tangled mass of its branches.
Artist Sarah Simblet at work in her studio
Sarah Simblet
Author of the highly acclaimed Anatomy for the Artist and The Drawing Book, Sarah is an artist, writer, and freelance lecturer in drawing. She teaches at the National Gallery in London and at the University of Oxford, where she is a member of Wolfson College and has her studio. Sarah has drawings in national and private collections, makes solo shows, and takes part in contemporary art exhibitions.
Sarah is also a broadcaster and conference speaker in art and science, contributing to programmes on BBC television and radio. In 2005 she presented Life Class on BBC. Sarah has a lifelong passion for plants, gardening, and natural history.
This week her latest publication was released: Botany for the Artist. It is a stunning book. She collaborated with Sam Scott-Hunter and Silke Spingies to produce the book, both of whom are also involved in the OneOak project.
Botany for the Artist - an inspirational guide to drawing plants
The first product from the OneOak tree was made on the day of the felling – January 20th 2010.
Local firewood merchant Trees & Gardens brought their firewood processor to the Blenheim Estate woodland and produced about 1 cubic metre of oak firewood logs. They weighed 460kg.
The logs will now be stored until seasoned (dry) in winter 2010.
Our thanks to Paul Williams (owner) and assistant Darrell Cross for demonstrating at the project launch.
If you are interested in buying firewood around the Woodstock area you can contact Paul at:
treesandgardens@btinternet.com
or
telephone 01993 891767.
Today the OneOak tree was felled and the OneOak project launched publicly.
Some of the OneOak guests after the felling
Over 400 people braved the snow and sleet to walk into the wood on the Blenheim Estate. Two hundred and fifty primary school children displayed work that they had been doing on the project for other guests to see. Hot chocolate, brewed on an open fire, warmed cold fingers. Demonstrators showed guests how oak is cleaved to make roofing shingles, how charcoal is made, and how green wood is turned. The first product from the tree, firewood logs, was made by a local firewood merchant. Researchers from Forest Research decended on the felled tree to start weighing every branch and twig.
These and many more were just some of the highlights of the day. The felling of the OneOak tree was dramatic and touched every one watching in different ways.
We owe a huge thank you to everyone who supported us on the day, and to those who will continue to work with us in the project. Please come back here soon to see photos and video taken at the event today, to find out the results of the research, and to see how many beautiful things we can make from the OneOak tree.
