This book is an opportunity for lovers of fine woodcarving to examine the work of one of the art form's living masters Ian Norbury detailing his innovative techniques and his original and imaginative subjects. More than 100 photographs richly illustrate his work in this book, which combines a mastery of woodcarving technique and a rich imagination inspired by artists such as Barlach, Dalí, Magritte, Fuchs, Jonssen and most of all, the Mexican surrealist Remedios Varo. Ian is steeped in European cultural history and has an overwhelming sense of the fatalistic repetition of history and the inevitability of the archetypal errors of humanity endlessly repeating themselves. Recognized as one of world's leading wood sculptors, Ian Norbury is in demand as a teacher worldwide. His work is astonishing in its virtuosity of execution, enigmatic mystery and beauty. In recent years his innovative use of metals, stones, shells, gems, mixed timbers and inlays of colored woods have given his work new direction. Norbury will continue to push the boundaries of woodcarving, perhaps in directions that will dismay the traditionalists, enrage the politically correct and delight his fans. Much of his work is based on European folklore and mythology combined with cynical tongue-in-cheek sideswipes at the pomposity of contemporary life. This finds an easy rapport with audiences, and his great technical expertise in the rendering of detail and his acute observations of expressions and appearances are irresistible to many people.