Anyone who has seen Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies will know of (and probably love) the character of Groot.

​In early 2020 I was asked to make a sculpture of this popular creature, who seems to be part-human and part-plant.

​The figure was carved in sections from oak and then assembled, before being painted with paints suitable for woodwork kept outdoors. It should be completely fine in the client’s garden for a long time.

​This was actually the second draft of the figure. The first was carved using robinia (aka black locust) timber. It was about half done when I had to close the workshop for a month due to the first Covid lockdown.

When I returned, two of the elements – the head and a leg – had cracked. Realising that the wood was not sufficiently seasoned, there was no choice but to remake the sculpture in a different timber.

​The half finished first draft of Groot is still in pieces in my workshop. When it has seasoned, I hope to make another version of this character. As an extra incentive, I have heard that robinia timber also glows under a blacklight. Rave Groot?