LATER this week, Tim Stead’s work returns to the Dock Museum for a new exhibition.

Best known for his creative use of native woods, the Sculpture in Disguise show - which runs from Saturday (January 19) until March 27 will explore the relationship between Tim's furniture and sculpture.

Sculptor furniture maker, environmentalist, teacher, poet, photographer, Tim is best known for his extraordinary public commissions such as the much loved interior of the visionary Café Gandolfi in Glasgow (in 1978 his first large-scale commission); the Memorial Chapel at the Kirk of Saint Nicholas, Aberdeen; The Peephole at the Gallery of Modern Art, Glasgow and the magnificent Millennium Clock Tower for the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. Tim also made a throne for the visit of Pope John Paul II to Scotland in 1982.

He also created the iconic visitor seating in the Dock Museum’s exhibition space. The relationship with the Barrow museum was further cemented when the Dock hosted a popular retrospective exhibition of Tim's s work entitled In Praise of Wood in 2005.

Born in Cheshire in 1952, Tim studied sculpture at Trent Polytechnic, where he developed a life-long passion for creating sculpture and furniture using natural materials. After a decade of using hardwood for making sculpture and furniture, Tim began to feel increasingly strongly about trying to put something back, and conceived the Axes for Trees project.

He made a sculpted wooden axe head for each day of 1986, raising money to contribute to the purchase of the first community woodland in Scotland, Wooplaw Community Woodlands.

In 1980 Tim and his wife Maggy bought a farm house in Blainslie, near Lauder. The house and workshop lay at the heart of Tim's family life and work. And over 20 years, the house evolved into an enormous and constantly evolving artwork.

His distinctive style influenced the work of many other artists and furniture makers. In 1999 he was awarded an MBE for his contribution to national woodland restoration and community participation.

Tim died in April 2000, and is buried in his beloved Wooplaw Woods in Galashiels.

For further information telephone 01229-876400.