A SCOTS beachcomber has created an incredible, moving sea sculpture using just items she found along the shoreline.
Sam North, 56, spent six months building her rotating “All at Sea” masterpiece completely out of driftwood and repurposed wood that she found on Scottish beaches.
Incredible video shows the creation in motion as several wooden cogs have been installed to rotate the waves.
A carved boat can be seen swaying in the sea as a lone sailor wearing an eye patch and red headscarf stands beside his wooden mast.
A large humpback whale has been added beneath the waves to add to the realistic nautical theme.
The Health and Safety manager for the National Trust Scotland handcrafted the entire piece, right down to the little pirate.
Speaking today, Sam, who lives in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, said: “I work full time so only have evenings and weekends so this took me about six months.”
“This is my second automata, although I have made toys previously and furniture from time to time and I like to whittle.”
“Currently the models sit on my shelf. When I started ‘All at Sea’ I only had a bandsaw and hand tools.”
“I have now got a scroll saw and a pillar drill – which helped!”
“I mainly use driftwood, some repurposed wood – the base, for example, is the top of an old cabinet! I also use some off-cuts of wood bought for other purposes.”
“There is more to come – next one will be titled ‘The Doldrums’.”
The stormy “doldrums” is a popular nautical term that refers to the belt around the Earth near the equator where sailing ships sometimes get stuck on windless waters.
She shared images of her finished piece on Facebook on Saturday (20 FEB).
Sam hopes to turn her hobby into a small business selling them in the future
Her post has attracted hundreds of likes on Facebook and dozens of comments from impressed followers.
Cathay Hitlon said: “That really is awesome!!! Lovin’ it! Master Craftsman! The motion of the whale is mesmerizing.”
Karol Stevenson said: “Not only a great imagination, but a skilled craftsman. Fantastic. Well done, I absolutely love this!!”
Gretchen Cherry added: “Brilliant so creative!”
