Ashley Sands

As a professional woodcarver and gilder I often work for churches, stately homes and palaces in London.  But my love of the English countryside and nature, having grown up in Compton Dando and now living in High Littleton, has always influenced my personal artwork.
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My limited addition hand-inked prints are taken from wood carved blocks of suitable wood.  Lime wood is the best carving wood having a tight grain but being fairly soft to carve (cuts will be more flowing without the use of a mallet). For a less detailed piece and with a more wood grainy effect, softer woods like pine can be used.  Using watercolour paper I have the option of adding colour washes either before or after printing.   Every print comes out different from the last.

My turned & hand carved pieces are in a variety of different woods; the different grains make each piece unique.
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Information about my work projects and  restoration work can be found below. 
Contact details
Website:  www.sandsandrandall.com

Woodcut prints

'Wood owl'.
Original woodcut print.   23 x 38cm. £40 +p&p
​(Framed 42.5 x 52.5cm £60 +p&p).
'Brown Trout'.
Original woodcut print. 28x20cm £30 +p&p  (Framed 42 x 32cm £45 +p&p)
'Fungi'.
Original woodcut print.   44 x 16cm £25 +p&p  (Framed 53 x 22cm £35 +p&p).
'Three owls'.
Original woodcut print 34 x 23cm £40 +p&p.
​(Framed 53.5 x 43.5cm £60 +p&p).
'Cod'.
Original woodcut print. 28x22cm £30 +p&p  (Framed 47 x 37cm £45 +p&p)
'Goldfinch'
Original woodcut with waqtercolour.
20 x 23cm £30 +p&p. (Framed 48 x 43cm £45 +p&p).
'Nightingale'.
Original woodcut print. 20 x 28cm £30 +p&p (Framed 32 x 42cm £45 +p&p).
'Cuckoo'.
Original woodcut print 36x30cm. £40 +p&p. (Framed 58 x 48cm £60 +p&p)

Hand carved / turned work

Decanter shaped vase (in apple wood) (RHS) 10cms high £10
Small vase 9cms high  £10
​Decanter shaped vase  in use
Ash cheese board
​42 x 19.5 x 2.5cm.   £20
Picture
Photo 1
Picture
Photo 2
Picture
Photo 3
Picture
Photo 4
Mushrooms of various woods are between 8 and 20cms high.  £6 each
Olive wood mushroom. 9cms £10 (seen in photo 1 and to right of group in photo 3)
Gold capped mushroom 13cms.     £10

Commissions

Commissions
The sample letters are 6cms high. At this size cost a bespoke piece would be £10 per letter + the cost of wood. Contact me on 

Green Oak Carving

The beginning of 2020 I spent time working at a green oak timber company in Hampshire.  The work involved carving into huge oak beams of green oak prior to it being used in the construction of a private client’s house.   There were a few carvers involved and many designs.  All the oak was left natural and allowed to crack as it drys over time.

Restoration: Great Hall, Palace of Westminster.

​I spent much of 2019 helping out in the restoration of the Great Hall in the Palace of Westminster.
​Some restoration of the 14th Century Medieval hammerbeam roof, at Westminster, involved replacing the poor quality and discoloured restoration carving of the past.
A MEWP (mobile elevated work platform) was needed to reach the angels in the roof. 
​You could clearly see the old and discoloured restoration in the middle of the shield.
​A new insert of oak is carved in the workshop, using the cast to guide the size and design of the new piece.
New oak manifolds were carved to hold the ribs of the fan vaulting in place.
The old wood was removed, showing the bolt into the angel and roof truss above.
One of the angel shields showing the new piece carved in and also stained to match in with the original carving.
​All the oak slats (old and new) had to be dowelled together so as not to fall out of the vault.
A rubber mould was taken around the hole so that a cast could be made of the surrounding carving.
The roof Lantern was partially deconstructed and rebuilt as part of the restoration process.
Reconstructed and restored fan vaulting.

Other projects

A picture of the finished dragon on the Great Pergoda at Kew.
The piece is 8' long.
Restoration of some Baroque tables for the French Embassy 
Repairs carved in Limewood and then gessoed and gilt