Artist carves out name for himself

Trout fishing used to be Paddy Cooper's passion. He's more likely to be carving these days. Tania McCauley speaks to the Bay View naturopath turned sculptor

Paddy Cooper spends a fair bit of time at the beach, looking for the right pieces of driftwood - to the point of taking a trailer on holiday just in case he spots something he'll want later.
For the past few years he has been carving native timber, anything from sea creatures to a myriad Maori designs. For the past 18 months he's also been carving greenstone and incorporating that into the mix.
"Many carvers don't like the grain [of the wood], but I do. Or if it's been partially eaten by sea worms, or twisted, it suits me just fine. There's so many interesting forms."
Growing up in Cambridge, the sixth-generation New Zealander had no desire to follow in his father's footsteps and become a dairy farmer. He moved to Hawke's Bay 30 years ago, becoming one of the first naturopaths here.
His artistic interest started 15 years ago when he joined some mates to learn carving from Te Rangi Robin. It was a hobby until about six years ago. Things really took off when a client of his naturopathy business was very taken by a piece he had carved which he had displayed in his clinic.
"I just started carving for myself, then someone asked me to do something, word got out, then off we went," he says.
"It was just the right time, to really do something with my carving."
However, it is not a quick process. Sometimes, he says, he can look at a piece of wood and visualise immediately what it could be. Other times, the wood might sit there for months, even years, before the "aha" moment happens.
The actual carving takes a lot of time, as does the finishing with natural oils. "It's a reductive art. Whereas other people put things on, add to their sculptures, or bend metal, carving is reductionist and once you take it away it's impossible to put back," he says.
His work is now found in several galleries throughout New Zealand and overseas clients commission work through his website. He has been a regular exhibitor at the New Zealand Art Show, formerly the Affordable Art Show, in Wellington, and shown work at the show's sponsors' party three times.
Through his network of fellow carvers he also sources swamp kauri, and is regularly in contact with Kerry Strongman of Te Hana Arts Factory in Northland, who he describes as his main inspiration and mentor.
Cooper still runs a naturopathy clinic part-time, but it is not as important as it once was - like his once great passion for trout fishing, something he used to do every spare weekend. Carving has "taken over", he says, and he's more likely to be found surrounded by sawdust, with the tools of his trade in hand, turning out his latest creation.
For more information, visit www.paddycooper.com