Wood and Upcycled items
I was born in 1947 and grew up in Wiltshire where my father was a Policeman.
I left Bishop Wordsworth’s School, Salisbury in 1965 to go to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst and was subsequently commissioned into the Royal Artillery.
I led a very active life much of it with Commando Forces and in the services adventure training centres.
Throughout my service I maintained an enthusiastic hobby interest in working with wood, in particular making toys and jigsaws for my family as they grew up.
In July 2000 I left the Army in part as a result of a heart by-pass operation. I then studied Furniture Craft at Bournemouth & Poole College for three years and was awarded a City and Guilds gold Medal for Furniture in 2002.
I live in Dorset and worked as cabinet maker until retired in 2010. My philosophy is simple: wood is a wonderful natural substance with warmth, colour, character and texture which give it a unique beauty. The craftsman’s task is to take that beauty and use it to enhance the object he makes. There should be little need for decoration and rarely any requirement to change the natural colour of the wood. If it takes a tree more than a hundred years to reach maturity then I will use and re-use every last scrap right down to light pulls and key rings.
These days I like to keep my hand in with small items that I can sell at craft outlets. I use a variety of mediums and, in particular, I enjoy applying lateral thought to everyday items that are ‘tired’. I like to give them a fresh lease of life and a new use. Barbara, my long-suffering wife believes we are the only house in Dorset that has our rubbish delivered.
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Call me on 01258 858404