We learn about the remarkable life and work of carver Ronald Ellis.
Ronald Ellis’ journey to becoming ‘The Aeroplane Man’ is not only a testament to his artistic skill but also a narrative of resilience, cultural fusion and the enduring spirit of craftsmanship. Born in Jamaica in 1952, Ronald’s passion for woodcarving began when he started crafting souvenirs for tourists. He created bamboo cups, coconut bird feeders, and other unique souvenirs to sell in the Ocho Rios craft market. However, Ronald’s true breakthrough came when he decided to soar above the ordinary and make things that nobody else was making.
His signature creations, wooden aeroplanes, cars and other vehicles, tell a story that goes beyond their exquisite craftsmanship. Ronald’s approach to visualising and carving each piece with just a machete, chisel and gouge sets him apart. His unique perspective, informed by a youth spent crafting various items, adds a layer of authenticity to his work. He tells us his unique story here.
Tell us about your early life and your experiences in the tourist souvenir trade
I was born in Buff Bay, Portland, Jamaica in 1952. I worked in a tile factory for a few years but the money wasn’t good so I decided to move on to the tourist business. I worked at a hotel and a guesthouse for a while, but I was still struggling to make some money.
I had some friends who worked in tourism, and one friend showed me how to make little things. So I started making souvenirs and the money was a bit better than the hotel, so I continued that for a while. Then I moved on from little things to bigger things, but the money wasn’t that good. When I spoke to my mom, she said: ‘You need to produce something that no one else in the market has.’
Okay. I thought about it, and a lot of people in the market were making bird feeders from coconuts. The first thing I made that no one else had for sale was a monkey from coconut – I used the whole coconut, husk and everything. I carved the monkey out, stuck a pipe in his mouth, stuck wire spectacles on. It was ‘hot bread’ in the crowded souvenir market and it was a good seller, but before long, other people who carved started to copy it. So I needed to change again. That’s when I started to make model aeroplanes and I became known as The Aeroplane Man.
What jobs did you do when you moved to England?
I came to England in 1986 and worked various jobs here and there. The rally industry was a place where you could get employment in those times, so I had a short spell doing that. Then I moved on to Northern Food pork farms. I think I spent around two years on pork farms. And then I moved to Reading and spent another two years at an employment agency. Then in 1992 the recession hit the employment agency, so I came back to Nottingham and went back to rally for another spell. It was only temporary though, so when that finished I decided I needed to find something more permanent. That’s when I went into the taxi business and I was a taxi driver for 12 years.
What brought you back to carving?
I had an accident which caused further damage to my already bad knee. After recovery, I could not continue driving a taxi. The knee wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do. So I went on benefits for a short while and then, retirement age came, and I thought, what can I do? So I went back to carvings. After a break of about 30 years, I went straight back to it! It wasn’t hard to go back to it because I carved even when I was not doing it – literally, I carved in my mind, I saw things and I thought, yes, I should be able to make that and mentally I made it, but never actually did it with a piece of wood.
After retirement and the bad knees and everything, I had more time. So the 30 years’ gap wasn’t too much to overcome for me.
You make these very detailed and complicated models aircraft and racing cars and it’s difficult to see how they’re made. How do you actually go about conceptualising them and then turning the ideas into models?
As I said, it’s a mental process first and then I make them piece by piece. I start with the body of the aircraft, then add pieces to the body, work out the size of the wings, etc. So the body is the background, and that’s where I take it from.
What images do you use to work from?
I use photographs, either from Google or a picture on the wall.
What tools do you use?
My main tools are a machete, a chisel and a gouge. I use the machete to start making a model from a block of wood or a piece of tree; you need that machete to get it to down to a manageable dimension, then you can carve it with the chisel and the gouge.
It’s remarkable that you don’t use measurements when making your models
I make no measurements, because when I learned there was no tape measure around, no ruler, nothing to measure anything. So when I make a car, I make the body first, and from the body I get the length that I need and then I can figure out the width and so forth from there.
What type of wood do you mostly use?
Mostly pine because it’s affordable. I can’t afford mahogany!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on a racing car and an Apache helicopter. Those are in progress right now.
Ronald’s work was recently displayed at Nottingham Central Library and he has set up an Instagram account for his carvings: @the_aeroplane_man