I like how much space they left above the mountains.

We chose a photo of the coast in winter rather than a pretty summer shot. The beach grass and flat water translate surprisingly well. The panel has the same cool, open feeling I remember from that walk.

You can pick out individual whiskers from quite close up.

The point was to keep our niece's dinosaur a little ridiculous. They did. The tail still sticks straight up and the smile is too big for its head. The grown-up frame makes the whole thing funnier, in a good way.

The wonky crown from her drawing made it into the finished piece.

My daughter draws our cat with enormous eyes and a single bent whisker. I asked them to keep both. The carving does that and still feels beautifully understated. She recognised her drawing from across the room.

I chose a photo of Mum from a Sunday lunch, not the portrait we usually use. She's looking off to the side and about to laugh. I was afraid the expression would disappear when the image was simplified for wood. The artist kept the little lift in one cheek, and my brother noticed it before I could point it out. The frame is simple and I'm glad of that. It lets the face hold the room on its own.

The cuts catch the afternoon light rather nicely.

I asked for a little more room around my mother’s head in the sketch. Seeing that change before the carving made it easier to say yes. The finished portrait has a lovely stillness to it.

The view feels familiar even with all the colour taken away.

There was a low stone wall in the photo that nobody else would notice, but I wanted it there. The carving keeps its uneven line. It makes the scene feel like the road to our house rather than any hillside.

Even the tiny notch in his ear is there.