Wood and Wax

 Ken Sloane is one of the Bazaar's most regular attenders and his wooden pots, snakes, candlesticks and other items make excellent gifts. From the practical rolling pins and spurtles - the unique Scottish porridge stick - through wonderfully fashioned tree snakes to decorative painted bowls and wooden dinosaurs, everything is  hand carved from a variety of wood. Ken also makes candles and with their bright colours and pleasing scents, they are a perfect complement to his off-the-wall candlesticks.

 

  


Where do you get your ideas from?  
They come to me unexpectedly and at random - e.g. tree cuttings from my neighbour's garden led to candlestick making which then led to candle making. Recently I have been inspired to take up oil painting. 

 Who do you think buys your product more, tourists or locals?  
In Stornoway it's probably a half and half mix but in Tarbert I would say more tourists than islanders buy my work.  

Where do you source your materials?  
I source my materials mainly from wood yards on the island and from one in Keighley, Yorkshire. Other sources include old fence posts, driftwood and from anybody chopping down their unwanted trees.


Photograph by Al Reed