Design Gallery

After model engineering and ornamental turning had gripped me in my middle and late teens and I had developed some serious craft competence, I began to realise the importance of design, a catalyst being a Crafts Council magazine article on David Pye in about 1979/1980.

The following nine photographs illustrate my work 1980 to 1986 when I had assembled a worthwhile list of galleries that were keen to show my work. I used to show work at Contemporary Applied Arts, the V&A Craft Shop, Boxford Gallery, Ombersley Gallery, The Oxford Gallery, Anne Hartree at the prestigious Prescote Gallery and others and all were lovely people to deal with.

The 'standing cups' are from Edward Pinto's 'Treen and Other Wooden Bygones'. The elm vessels range in influence from Neolithic burial vessels to African pottery and stages in between. Turned to 3/16 inch thick at mid-section, with uniformly spaced grooves internally.

The 'Woodturning Centre' Philadelphia purchased one of my three tray hinged containers in 1988, when Albert came to visit. This was one of my favourite pieces to make. All are hand turned at 800rpm, you don't need high speed for long slender boxwood tray stems and anyway its the max speed on my dads Myford ML7 lathe even with a bigger drive pulley. The holes are tapered with a triangular reamer made to suit. The tops stack at successive half bead diameter increments. I think there's a 1988 (possibly August) 'Woodworker' article of mine on making this container.

I am a terrible fella for insisting on 'finish straight off the tool' most certainly for all production work, but with this one-off type work theres some relaxation of standards with at most the finest of wet and dry abrasive paper or the finest wire wool.

(just click on the images to see a full sized version)

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