A WEST Devon artist has painted images depicting creation on huge slices of oak tree trunk for a biblical garden in St Cleer.

Judy Barnes, who lives at Coryton, was asked to depict the four elements — water, earth, fire and air — on vertically-cut slices measuring 10ft by 15ins and day and night on 12ft lengths.

Judy said that after a brief introduction to the lengths of oak she was able to identify which piece belonged to which element by the grain, which was to guide her throughout.

Judy said: 'I was not producing a picture on wood, as if it were canvas or paper, but was to be led solely by the grain.'

Judy began with 'water', which she said was most transparent in the pattern of the grain, which spoke of 'ripples, pools, eddies, currents, bubbles and a gently flowing river'.

For 'earth', Judy said the grain seemed to be the 'contour lines on a relief map'. There was a tarn, hills, fields, woods and rock strata.

The 'fire' piece was 'hugely challenging, vibrant in form and very exciting to execute' as well as being 'outrageously loud', she said.

'Air' shows a twister, the eye of the storm, with air currents and cloud formations.

The largest pieces, 'day' and 'night', offered a broad range of symbolism. 'Day' is in the colours of the rainbow, sent to Noah by God as a covenant. Red earth turns to oranges and gold and African animals emerge.

For 'night', she said a stag's head looms out of the undergrowth as the sun sinks behind him. An owl, the moon, North Star, Haley's comet, Milky Way and Pleiades are included as well as a 'sly' fox.

The pieces took a year to complete, with the painting taking ten months after the initial treatment of the wood.

Judy said: 'The process took me on an extraordinary, challenging journey of discovery and intrigue.

'My privileged part was to establish an empathetic relationship with the tree and to show it in its best possible light as my acknowledgement of the wonder of His Creation in all its intricate glory.'

The gardens at St Cleer, called The Pilgrimage Gardens, are a journey through the history of faith illustrated by artwork, narrative sculpture and garden design.

They are intended as a spiritual resource for both visitors to the area and for locals, providing a quiet reflective place. They have been seven years in the making using local resources, transforming the neglected Vicarage garden into a place for the whole community.