I have moved workshop to Buckfastleigh, to far larger premises, this will enable me to display some of my garden furniture.
The address is Unit 2, Dial Court, Fore Street, Buckfastleigh. TQ11 0BS
Visitors by appointment only please, otherwise you may well have a wasted journey.
Shows I can be seen at during 2008
1st - 31st May Sculpture Trail at Delamore gallery and sculpture garden. See
www.delamore-art.co.uk for directions and times.
From the 4th May Mythic Garden 2008, Dartmoor. See www.mythicgarden.com for
directions and opening times.
Photo of ' Wing', photo of ' Flying Fish' in the Mythic Garden
10th May Plymouth Woodfair.
6th-8th June The Contemporary Craft Fair at Bovey Tracey, Devon.
12th-13tht July South west Woodfair, Roadford Lake, Cornwall
25th - 27th July WOMAD new venue see there website for details.
22nd - 224th August Festival of the Tree, Westonbirt Arboretum.
Trees have been my passion for as long as I remember. I have marked my life by my relationship to them; the ancient hollow oak trees where I played in childhood; my adolescence, spent living in a house under a landmark tree; the large and perfect timber oak, which I lived beneath in a tipi, learning traditional woodland skills. I now meet amazing trees all around the country in my photography work, and with the various Trusts and projects with which I engage.
Photography
Whilst studying photography at college I worked extensively with the technique of cutting an image and rearranging the pieces to create the effect that I wanted. Although I produced unique and original images, it was a messy, wasteful process and the joins between the pieces were easily visible. It was not until 15 or so years later, that technology caught up with my desire to improve and perfect this process. I have now invested in a computer and digital camera to develop and produce my work in a more efficient way. It is how I have always most wanted to work: with seamless joins and perfect prints.
My finished prints are produced on Permajet inkjet paper “Museum” 310gram, and are printed using inks that have a comparable longevity to that of traditional photographic prints.
Some of my photographs are conventional, un-manipulated images. Some are created from sections taken from a conventional photograph, with one side of the image ‘flipped’ over to create an impression of mirroring, thereby producing the ‘Treespirit’ range. The round mandala-like photographs start from a conventional image, but this time, a triangular section is cut out, sometimes mirrored, and is then repeated until a full circle is formed.
Woodwork
My work is strongly inspired by and involved with nature, is a celebration of trees and forests, and the perpetual life force in all living things.
The designs for my curved benches have arisen from the desire to create sensual forms, and the practical realisation that most seating is not conducive to the way that we relate to each other. Conventional seating designs dictate that those who sit, entirely face in the same direction, causing people to twist their heads uncomfortably in order to maintain eye-contact. Curves and circles in the design allow people to face each other, prompting contact and conversation, and also allow for the need for ones own space, and privacy, where we can turn our back on others.
I also wanted to design seating to be multi functional; so that people are able to sit in a variety of ways, or to lie down; or for children to play around and on. Some seats offer a 360 degree view - democratic seating - where the users choose how and where to sit.
I Most of the timber that I use is from sustainable sources, and where possible, from local sawmills.
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