APPOINTMENTS: John has carved out a uniquecareer.

Byline: JULIE RICHARDS-WILLIAMS

BRINGING the beauty of wildlife within everyone's reach is the aim of John Davies, a man who has two strings to his artistic bow. Both a celebrated bird carver and a poet, he is equally at home with a chisel or a pen and never tires of creating both visual and verbal images that delight the senses.

A naturally talented artist, remarkably his carving skill is entirely self taught.

``For me,birds and verse complement each other perfectly. In both media my inspiration comes from the wonderful diversity of the North Wales environment,''explains John, a dedicated conservationist and birdwatcher.

Born and brought up in South Wales,he began writing poetry at 11 and,after gaining a degree at Aberystwyth University, spent three years on teaching exchanges in America,culminating in becoming poet in residence at Brigham Young University in Provo,Utah. The turning point in his life came more than 20 years ago, when he bought an exquisitely carved little robin at a craft fair in Michigan, which went everywhere with him.

``The bird seemed to be telling me something,but I refused to listen until a few years later when I had settled in Prestatyn and one day bought a set of wood carving tools,'' John explains.``A neighbour gave me a fine piece of wood and as I held it in my hand,I felt there was a bird hidden inside that should be liberated.''

Tentatively he made his first cut with a chisel,and to his delight discovered that carving came naturally. That was the beginning of an exciting new career as a bird carver,enabling him to quit teaching to concentrate on woodcarving.

Now he has become firmly established as one of Wales' foremost bird carvers,producing hundreds of small objects of desire.

John's feathered subjects are chosen for their variety and grace, the way they move in flight and importantly, their shape and feel when resting in his hand. He particularly favours shore birds and carves in the old-fashioned traditional method, using hand rather than modern power tools.

This summer his sixth collection of poems was published in paperback, while his true-to-life bird carvings are currently on view at Theatr Clwyd,Mold, theChapel of Art,Criccieth and galleries in Shropshire.

CAPTION(S):

John Davies, bird carver and poet