Adventurer in materials

I’m a product of a 1970s family environment, the ancestors were makers and do-ers, and parents: teachers in their fields - an artist and a silversmith from cutlers and defined by a history of metalworking, design, colour and use of space. It seems obvious now I’ve had some time to think about it, that my heart was always going to be in making stuff, getting excited about tools and new mediums. At 18, seeking a half-way house between design and art, I trained as a theatre and film prop maker, creating from latex, wood, hatmaker’s buckram and various epoxies. I’ve made monsters for West End productions, props for museums, structures for theme parks and costumes for TV. An exciting world, that paid badly.

When reality bit, the necessary bread and butter came from the world of digital learning - rewarding, but not making. So I channelled creativity into making theatrical raised pies (see my old instagram @wellraisedpies) and exploring food history. Later came woodturning, a workshop to retreat to and switch off. A change in circumstances, a move to the coast with its huge skies and endless beaches brought a change in pace and priorities. I began to work in metal and with stones - tangible materials with beauty and permanence.