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Lifelike wooden owl carving wins national contest

Alexis GreenSouth of England
News imageBBC A wooden carving of a tawny owl perched on a log, pictured in a garden with trees in the background. BBC
Maggie Port's lifelike carving of a tawny owl won first place at a carving competition

A woman who creates life-like wooden sculptures of birds has won a national wood carving competition.

Maggie Port won first place in the bird of prey category at the British Decoy and Wildfowl Carving Association for her sculpture of a tawny owl.

Using a Malaysian hardwood called jelutong, she carves life-sized pieces by hand with a knife and dremel, a small power tool.

Over the last 30 years she has made more than 230 pieces, and said some take up to six months to make.

News imageMaggie in the right hand of the frame sitting on a wooden chair in her garden. She is wearing a blue button-up blouse and has blonde hair. She is looking at a reporter who is sat to the left, out of frame. Behind Maggie are several wooden carvings of birds, including an owl and another bird, while the garden and house further behind is out of focus.
Maggie carves and paints her sculptures by hand and said finishing one can take up to six months

Maggie said that her passion was ignited after seeing an exhibition of wood carvings 30 years ago while on holiday.

"I went along and the whole barn was just full of ducks and these carvings," she said.

"I just said: 'Ah, I've got to do this.'"

A few weeks later she said she booked a four-day course and, 30 years later, she still finds the creative process therapeutic.

"I can sit out here and just carve, you can forget everything," she said. "You can lose hours without even realising."

She begins by drawing a sketch to work from and then starts to carve, even burning the feathers into the wood for a more realistic appearance.

"The best part is when you've carved something and you put the eyes in - the thing comes to life," she said.

News imageMaggie Port A photograph of Maggie Port, who is in the left hand side of the frame, holding several prize ribbons. To the right of her is a table full of shields and trophies. Behind the trophies is a cork board with various pamphlets from the carving club pinned to it.Maggie Port
Maggie has previously won multiple trophies for her lifelike carvings

The competition, which is held each year in Bakewell in the Peak District, is not the first she has won.

In 2014, she won trophies at the British Championships for her carving of a flying female mallard.

News imageA lifelike wooden carving of a flying mallard duck. Its underbelly has light brown and dark brown plumage, with grey-black wings spread out.
Maggie previously won a table of trophies for her lifelike carving of a flying female mallard in 2014

Maggie is also a member of Waterside Wood Carvers, who meet every other week in Dibden Purlieu in Hampshire.

"We just try and encourage people to carve in wood and enjoy it," she said.

"It's lovely to see youngsters come up and start with a beginning, and then you sort of see them going up through the different classes."

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