Chainsaw artist Rolande Urwin has transformed a tree stump at a park in Keswick into a giant carving of an eagle after being commissioned thanks to a donation in memory of a local resident.
Cumbria-based Rolande spent four days creating her spectacular sculpture of the bird of prey in flight with a fish in its talons next to a footpath near the entrance to Upper Fitz Park.
“I think I was born an artist but became a little bored with mainstream art and decided to pick up a chainsaw and see what I could do,” she said. “That was 12 years ago and I am still really busy.”
Now known as “the woman with a chainsaw”, Rolande, from Holme near Milnthorpe, who studied fine art at college, added: “Happily, the weather has been kind to me. I always talk to the client first and in this case they wanted a bird of prey with a fish.”
The Fitz Park Trust had received an anonymous donation in memory of a loved one from someone in the town which allowed it to commission the work from Rolande.
Keswick parks manager Christine Fawcett said: “Such a donation is a lovely way to celebrate a life in public art.
“The tree had to be cut down, but wherever possible we try to retain the stumps for a possible future wood sculpture. The eagle is already producing appreciative remarks and will be a great addition to the park.”
The carving is the latest in a succession of wood sculptures to be created in Keswick’s parks. The first in Fitz Park was of a dog and celebrated the life of long-serving Keswick police sergeant and dog-lover Harry Winter.
