Matthew Crabb facts for kids

Matthew Crabb (born Matthew Stuart Crabb on September 29, 1983) is an English artist. He is famous for creating amazing sculptures using chainsaws.

Matthew Crabb: Chainsaw Artist

Matthew Crabb was born in Dorset, England. Today, he lives and works near Exmoor. He first thought about a career in Graphic Design. However, his path changed while he was working in a power tool hire shop. There, he became very interested in chainsaws and how they could be used to sculpt art.

At first, Crabb found inspiration from the countryside around him. Many of his early sculptures were wildlife scenes. He also tried making contemporary art. Crabb is best known for his very tall, 9-meter high sculpture of the Virgin Mary. This huge piece was made in 2010/2011 for the "Healing Castle" at Schochwitz in East Germany.

What is Chainsaw Carving?

Chainsaw carving is a special art form. Artists use chainsaws to cut and shape wood. They can create detailed sculptures from large logs or tree stumps. It takes a lot of skill and precision to turn a rough piece of wood into a work of art using such powerful tools.

Crabb's Unique Style

Crabb's carvings are very popular. People want them for both interior design inside homes and for outdoor spaces. His unique and spectacular carvings come straight from his imagination. He is often inspired by the special qualities of the wood he is working with. This means that no two pieces he creates are ever exactly the same.

Crabb also sculpts art directly from fallen trees or tree stumps. For example, he created beautiful wildlife scenes at the Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens in Dorset. More recently, Crabb's art has started to feature mythical and fantasy themes.

How Crabb Carves

Matthew Crabb uses different sizes of chainsaws to sculpt his art. He starts with large blades to remove big sections of timber. Then, he moves to smaller chainsaws for the precise details. This method allows him to create intricate and detailed sculptures.

Competitions and New Art

In August 2011, Crabb entered the Sandringham Cup chainsaw carving competition. There, he brought to life a sculpture called Duelling Dinosaurs – Raptor v Brachiasaurus.

Also in August 2011, Crabb competed in the English National Chainsaw carving competition. This event was held at the Cheshire Game and Country Fair at Tatton Park. He competed against 35 of the world's top chainsaw carvers. These artists came from many countries, including Japan, the USA, Australia, and Germany. He had three days to finish a large, original sculpture.

Crabb earned second place in the competition, even beating the world champion. His sculpture, "Dragon's Mouth Throne," sold for twice the price of the first-place carving at the auction. This sparked a discussion on BBC Radio 2. Crabb was also featured in the October edition of Field and Rural Life Magazine.

Between his commissioned projects, Crabb is currently finishing a fantasy dragon's head. He plans to create a series of fantasy creatures' heads in the future.

TV Appearances

Crabb has appeared on ITV's This Morning. On the show, he created simple carvings for Irish landscape designer and TV personality Diarmuid Gavin.