"I discovered wood work at one of those pivotal times that occur, often haphazardly in our lives.

 

After a decade or so of working in kitchens as a chef & travelling the world I found myself tired of the industry and restless for something new.

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A chance opportunity to work with a group of coppice workers in South Cumbria took me by the hand and led me into the world of wood.

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I’d always been creative. Obsessively drawing as a teenager, then to college in multimedia and further to university studying experimental arts. Whilst travelling taking up the camera and from early childhood playing music. And so it is, in wood I had found a new medium to channel my creativity.

 

With no formal training I began experimenting with pieces of wood, looking to create pleasing forms. I was quick to discover that it was not the ‘good’ timber I was interested in; straight pieces with their even grain had their charms but they lacked the spirit that is channeled in my pieces.

 

As I spent more and more time in the woods curiously poking around I began to find what I was looking for. These half rotten trunks, storm-maimed limbs, and bulbous burls spoke to me. With each piece I collected came a new conversation; one where I would ask “How can I enhance these features and draw out their beauty?” And the pieces would remain quiet, but as I began to work, chipping away material, hollowing and sanding, the hidden facets would come to light. These facets become the wood’s voice; they guide my work, revealing new ways to celebrate each piece’s character. It is a wondrous collaborative experience that I find to be utterly captivating."