The Woodsman

This is a portrait of James Mitchell, a coppicer, sculptor and teacher from Kendal. He is one of a small number of trained woodsmen still managing the coppiced woods of the South Lakes, keeping the traditional woodland crafts alive while maintaining valuable wildlife habitats.

This print is an interpretation of a photo I took of him working in the woods under Scout Scar, where he was bringing an old, derelict coup back into cycle. Coppicing is hard physical labour, particularly the felling, splitting and moving of the large trunks of oak, ash and birch trees which form the top canopy of these woods.