A detail that shows the vibrancy of these reds and pinks.
Biog
Born out of a need to make use of some very large pieces of waste timber from a furniture making business, I have been making table lamps on a lathe in a workshop in Brighton for quite some time.
I originally studied for a degree in fine art and have followed a career from fine art printmaker, theatrical prop maker to animation artist and television graphics and now after raising a family and making a home, I feel as if I have found my place in the world of craft, though my work will always be informed by my original education in fine art. A collector of craft skills I am a self taught wood turner who has been inspired to make these decorative lamps for your homes.
Today I still make use of waste timber such as oak and walnut and if I am lucky sometimes cherry, but most of my lamps are turned out of lime wood which has a grain which makes it suitable for easy turning and allows me to finish it to a very fine finish ready for painting.
I turn them on an old Union Lathe, the idea to paint them while they are still on the lathe suggested stripes and a delight and joy with colour followed and has developed over the years to a very sophisticated level as can be seen in the very fine stripes on my recent lamps. Eventually I felt the need to turn the lathe off and paint vertical stripes, which was very peace-full! Shapes change and evolve through the search for harmonious forms and though designs are repeated many times, each lamp will ultimately be unique in form and colour. The height of the lamps ranges from 40 -60cm and taller with shades. Finally the lamp is wired with a silk covered retro flex in various colours to complement the lamp.
Sympathetic to the advice William Morris gave us not to have anything in our homes which is neither useful or beautiful, I hope that my lamps fulfil both catagories and don’t contribute to an excess of clutter in our homes.
Homes need lamps, they most definitely do, what home in the gloom of winter can’t be improved by the addition of a warm glow from a lamp, what bedroom can’t be improved by a pair of beautiful bedside lights, giving out intimate soft pools of light. As is often the case when one gets interested in a particular subject you start to see them everywhere. Part of my ongoing inspiration comes from lamp spotting in the films that I see, invariably they are chosen for their distinctiveness and evoke a variety of eras and fashions, film going provides a continuous parade of interesting styles of lighting, they must form an important part in lighting and dressing a scene and I recommend starting to notice the variety of lamps that can be seen in a single film.
I aspire to make distinctive lamps with a unique presence that will endure, my wish to evoke some of the styles I have been inspired by such as in vintage lighting, led me into making my own lampshades for my table lamps, they range from simple linen shades in classic proportions to unique shades made from vintage silk scarves, typically I love to use the Jacqmar scarves from the 50s 60s and 70s, the colours and painterly style of these scarves look fabulous when lit by the light from the lamp.
I have also been making lampshades using redundant ordnance survey maps, these are wonderfully nostalgic and generate much interest as they typically show places before motorways with the subdued colours and detail many people love to see on a map.
My painted lamps generally suit a plain linen shade, the colourful silk shades and the map shades tend to complement the plainer oak or walnut lamp bases, though having said that sometimes there is a wonderful marriage between colourful shade and colourful base!
60 second interview
Q: What is your favourite colour?A: RedQ: Who first inspired you to start making/ creating and what words of advice did they give you?A: I can't give credit to any one person here as I can't remember a time when I didn't make and create, from surreptitiously mixing cement in the garden for my 'camp', to making paper dolls clothes for my dolls. I do have a very strong early memory though which in some respect was an inspiration for an adult creative life, this is of visiting a graphic artists' studio and seeing the big pots of pencils and rolls of paper and realising with delight that art could be an adult occupation. Q: Where and when do you most like to work?A: I am limited as I need to be by my lathe when I am turning but I am happy that it is near a window where I can keep an eye on passers by and I am happiest when the sun shines in . I am a morning person and prefer to embark on work in the morning, in fact I find it very hard to initiate new work in the afternoon or evening though I can complete things that are already started.Q: Which season of the year most inspires you?A: SpringQ: What can't you work without?A: Of course lots of tools and equipment.... but more seriously enough physical space and also internal space.Q: Whose work do you most admire?A: Picasso for his excess of genius and creativityQ: What is your favourite piece of fiction and why?A: Over the last two years I have been reading all of Leo Tolstoys work I started with his short stories then War and Peace, I have been blown away by his talent for finding expression for all our human frailties and internal dialogues, also his descriptions of nature are profound. I am just finishing Anna Karenin. Q: What do you do to relax?A: Many things, but gardening and nature truly relaxes me.Q: Describe your artistic style in 3 words. A: colourful, elegant, functional.
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