RESPECTED sculptor Andrew Sinclair has plenty to crow about – after a baby bird he rescued began trying to help him with his work.

Andrew, who teaches at The Sculpture School near North Tawton is now assisted on a daily basis by the tame crow that has doubled in size in a matter of days.

The fledgling, affectionately named ‘Edgar Allan Crow’, was found sitting on the bank under a tree on the school’s driveway at the end of May after falling out of a nest.

Andrew’s partner Diane Coates said: ’His brother or sister was lying beside him and was well and truly dead but he was alive and squawking.

’We knew we had to save him so we took him into our home and studio and fed him chicken and mincemeat. He was about three weeks old and was like a typical baby – going crazy one moment, then eating, pooing and falling asleep exhausted!’

As the days wore on, Edgar Allan Crow became firmly established as a fixture in the sculptor’s working life.

’He has been trying to help Andrew by sitting on a sculpture stand and pecking at the clay while Andrew is sculpting,’ said Diane. 

’He has become a familiar sight in our studio and we love having him. We would ideally like him to be free and live the life of a proper crow, however we doubt he will go because he seems to love it here - apart from our chickens who attacked him yesterday as he can’t yet fly properly!

’He recently moved into the tree at night after sleeping in the lobby of our house for the last two weeks.’

Andrew is one of the UK’s leading sculptors, with a string of accomplishments to his name. In 2014, he curated the Great British Sculpture Show at Hatfield House, while last month, a series of stunning break dance figures he sculpted appeared on the newly-launched Harmony of the Seas, which is now the world’s biggest cruise ship.

He and Diane have a host of animals living on their four-acre plot. These include four grass-munching alpacas which were recently given to the school by a student who bartered them in exchange for lessons. The alpacas are used to ‘mow the grass’ in their extensive paddocks.

Andrew said: ’Sometimes it feels a bit like All Creatures Great and Small here but the atmosphere is great and we are positively thriving as a studio and sculpture school.’