The Angel of Justice

"There are a number of bog woods in Ireland of which bog oak and bog pine are the commonest. 'Bog wood' is ancient wood which has been preserved by falling into wet ground or the bog growing up around it so it is in oxygenless conditions. It can typically be found in cutaway bog (cut for turf - now less common) or where farmers drain fields. The piece of bog oak that ’Angel of Justice’ was carved from comes from the shores of Lough Neagh. Bog oak has turned black by the interaction of iron in the water with the tannins in the wood and would typically be three thousand years old.

’Angel of Justice’ emerged from the shape of the wood. There are different approaches to carving wood including carving what you want or looking at the shape, once the piece is cleaned up, and seeing what 'is there'. In this case the interaction between wood and carver led to a symbol of justice, and who better to give a symbol of justice to than CAJ!"

Rob Fairmichael, Artist and creator of the Angel of Justice