60 extraordinary wooden sculptures by Touch Pollard, inspired by nature and mythology

Tach Pollard’s sculptures feel less like carved objects and more like emerging entities, as if they had been waiting quietly and patiently within the grain of ancient wood. Rooted in the oak forests of the Sussex Weald where he spent his childhood, Pollard’s work has the weight of time, myth and memory, reflecting the slow intelligence of the natural world itself.

Self-taught and guided by intuition as well as technique, Pollard began carving oak roots in his early 20s, letting their twisted, organic forms dictate direction rather than imposing his will. What emerged was a deeply personal language that blended artist and material rather than separating them.

More information: tachpolard.co.uk | Instagram

When Pollard discovered hawthorn trees after moving to Buckinghamshire, his practice became even more elusive. Hawthorn has long been steeped in British folklore, telling stories of the fairy world, sacred rituals and ancient magic. These stories not only inspire his work, they live it. The figures that emerge are often liminal, suspended between the human, the spirit, and something completely unrecognizable, as if emerging from the edge of myth and taking shape.

Oracles traveling on endless paths. Always found but never lost, the stars align like this is what it is.

There is an undeniable sense that these sculptures are not static. It feels like a moment caught in the midst of change, where the tree becomes a story and the shadow becomes a presence. Pollard speaks of sculpture as a kind of dialogue. The play of light that reveals hidden shapes, the scent of wood that reacts as you work, the slow unfolding of what is already living within. In this way, each piece becomes less about what was made and more about what was discovered: a silent, continuous dance between the artist and the ancient voices hidden deep within the grain.

Twin Flame…I carved out two anatomical hearts to synchronize them into one heart.

Elvial stopped and heard her reflection calling her name.

As the wood burns, cracks open around her, drawing the light deeper into the darkness, revealing the obsidian mystery between the two words.

The totemic piece created for the Bat Conservation Society’s show garden at the 2026 Chelsea Flower Show is called Black Amber.

Stag Witch…hovering over the sand and stones, searching for the Sea Witch’s family.

Burnt Clawman: Carved and baked from hawthorn wood.

I can hear whispers at night coming from the dew pond on the hill. The world is full, and I peer inside, only to see stars kissing the edges and dancing on waves formed in ever-new constellations, disappearing with the birth of the sun.