Oak Burr Manta Rays. Sold.

Oak Burr and Copper (tail).
Mounted on Black Acrylic base (other base options are available on request).
Hand Carved Original Carvings.
“Wing Span” 38cm (15 inches) each.
This piece has Sold, but please contact me if you would like to commission something similar.

These two Manta Rays are carved from pieces of the same large, oak burr (see here to read more about wood burrs). This was a burr that I had been hanging on to for some years, waiting for an opportunity to carve something worthy from such a rare piece of timber. I have carved several Manta Rays in the past, as they have a beautiful, smooth, broad body, that can show off the figuring within the timber to the absolute max.
Though this type of wood can be hard work to carve, I feel that the results are well worth the extra effort.
Theses Manta Rays are both mounted on acrylic bases, but please contact me if you would like to discuss the possibility of alternative materials.

Seeing a Manta ray in the wild is still on my ‘to do’ list. I have dived in many places around the world and have had several near misses, but so far they have remained elusive. From my point of view, the next best thing to actually seeing one in the flesh, is to sculpt one. Mantas, also known as “devilfish” due to their horn-shaped cephalic fins, belong to the genus Mobula. The larger M. birostris can span 7 m (23 ft) in width, while the smaller M. alfredi reaches 5.5 m (18 ft). They have the largest  brain to body ratio of all fish and can pass the mirror test.