{"id":311102,"date":"2025-08-02T05:13:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311102\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T05:13:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:13:18","slug":"kirsty-elsons-spirited-creatures-breathe-new-life-into-weathered-driftwood-colossal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311102\/","title":{"rendered":"Kirsty Elson&#8217;s Spirited Creatures Breathe New Life into Weathered Driftwood \u2014 Colossal"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1503\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-5.jpg\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"a pig sculpture made of worn white wood\" style=\"object-fit:cover;\"  \/>All images courtesy of Kirsty Elson, shared with permission<\/p>\n<p>August 1, 2025<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"category-art\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/art\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Art<\/a><a class=\"category-craft\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/category\/craft\/\" rel=\"tag noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Craft<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/author\/gebert\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"wp-block-post-author-name__link\" rel=\"noopener\">Grace Ebert<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing has-visible-labels has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-layout-flex wp-block-social-sharing-is-layout-flex\">\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d; \" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-facebook has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2025%2F08%2Fkirsty-elson-wood-animals%2F&amp;title=Kirsty%20Elson%27s%20Spirited%20Creatures%20Breathe%20New%20Life%20into%20Weathered%20Driftwood\" aria-label=\"Share\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tShare<br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d; \" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-pinterest has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2F2025%2F08%2Fkirsty-elson-wood-animals%2F&amp;description=Kirsty%20Elson%27s%20Spirited%20Creatures%20Breathe%20New%20Life%20into%20Weathered%20Driftwood&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thisiscolossal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F08%2Felson-5-960x721.jpg\" aria-label=\"Pin\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tPin<br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"color: #1c1e0d; \" class=\"outermost-social-sharing-link outermost-social-sharing-link-mail has-crow-color wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link\">\n\t<a href=\"http:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/cdn-cgi\/l\/email-protection#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\" aria-label=\"Email\" class=\"wp-block-outermost-social-sharing-link-anchor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tEmail<br \/>\n\t<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bookmark<\/p>\n<p>Wander into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kirstyelson.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kirsty Elson<\/a>\u2019s Cornwall studio, and you\u2019ll likely greet a menagerie of creatures alongside scraps of driftwood and rusted bits of metal. Scouring local beaches and embankments, the artist (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/tags\/kirsty-elson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">previously<\/a>) has an impeccable ability to envision a piglet\u2019s ear or a dog\u2019s snout from a weathered hunk of timber. Once in her studio, quirky characters emerge from scratched and worn materials, their lively personalities shining through the signs of age.<\/p>\n<p>Elson sells some of her sculptures on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kirstyelson.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">her website<\/a>, and you can follow her work on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/kirstyelson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2256\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-1.jpg\" alt=\"a lion sculpture made of worn yellow wood\" class=\"wp-image-459699\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-2.jpg\" alt=\"a cat and hummingbird sculpture made of worn blue and brown wood\" class=\"wp-image-459700\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-3.jpg\" alt=\"a dog sculpture made of worn blue and brown wood\" class=\"wp-image-459701\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2077\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-4.jpg\" alt=\"a poodle sculpture made of worn blue and brown wood\" class=\"wp-image-459702\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2717\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-6.jpg\" alt=\"a monkey sculpture made of worn wood\" class=\"wp-image-459704\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2057\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-7.jpg\" alt=\"a dog sculpture made of worn red-brown wood atop a brush\" class=\"wp-image-459705\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"2263\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-8.jpg\" alt=\"a sheep sculpture made of worn yellow wood splattered with paint\" class=\"wp-image-459706\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1179\" height=\"905\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/elson-9.jpg\" alt=\"a dog sculpture made of worn yellow wood\" class=\"wp-image-459707\"  \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do stories and artists like this matter to you?<\/strong> Become a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"118516\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colossal Member<\/a> now, and support independent arts publishing.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hide advertising<\/li>\n<li>Save your favorite articles<\/li>\n<li>Get 15% off in the <a href=\"https:\/\/colossal.shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Colossal Shop<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Receive members-only newsletter<\/li>\n<li>Give 1% for art supplies in K-12 classrooms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Join us today!<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$7\/month<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-verdigris-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/colossal.memberful.com\/checkout?plan=113463\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">$75\/year<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-crow-color has-chalk-background-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/members\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Explore membership options<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"20\" height=\"21\" class=\"wp-image-327872\" style=\"width: 20px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/arrow-left.svg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thisiscolossal.com\/2025\/08\/mateo-trames-carpet\/\" rel=\"prev noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Next article<\/a><br \/>\n\t<script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All images courtesy of Kirsty Elson, shared with permission August 1, 2025 ArtCraft Grace Ebert Share Pin Email&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311103,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3939],"tags":[933,4021,4020,4022,77,52146,113637,11102,16,15,25296],"class_list":{"0":"post-311102","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-animals","9":"tag-arts","10":"tag-arts-and-design","11":"tag-design","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-found-objects","14":"tag-kirsty-elson","15":"tag-sculpture","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-wood"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114957465187244441","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311102\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}