The Big Week Ahead
Hard to imagine but four months have passed since my leaving North Wales and moving to Oxfordshire. It still feels a little transitional but I have made some fine friends who are truly gifted artisans.
Neil Scott is a creative designer with unique concepts using everything from chrome on steel and casting resins and woods he would risk his life for. He’s highly proactive as an independent designer in his own right and a neat guy to be around; you cannot do anything but love his work.
Mary’s upholstery work is just beautiful and as a skilled seamstress much of her work exemplifies the hidden detail and craftsmanship she keeps alive through an impeccable quest she has to know her craft from the inside out.
And then there’s Chris Boreham, a young designer who takes on just about anything that helps everyone achieve their goals. He and Rodas Irving are both independent craftsmen who often share their different space to bring a project together. 
There are others too, special people, crafting artisans, and I hope to cover that in later blog next week.
On Saturday we have the literary evening and yours truly will be last man on to talk about his book and why he wrote it. I wish that you could all be here with me but I know you will understand that this is an important part of the vision we have for the future of woodworking, so please be with me in spirit.
Those of you that can make it to see us during our open house we would love to see you. Of course it’s more than just Art Weeks and the Literary evening and the Wood Centre. It’s about living your work and living your craft. I will have more on this soon.
Thanks for the glimpse into it. Something that caught my eye is the pinned picture frames in the pic with the armchair. what great grain an contrast of the pins. The Chris Boreham stool looks solid and has great visual appeal as well.
Hope you enjoy it!
I’m gutted I can’t be there I wish this had happened at the castle but I love the way things are going for you and the team, good luck
Looks fantastic.
The purple chair is I assume Mary’s. Even in the photo you can see how well done it is. Looks like a fabulous sitter.
What was the address of the open house?
Sylva Wood Centre
Little Wittenham Road
Long Wittenham
Oxfordshire
OX14 4QT
England
Beautiful work. I’m glad you can share your friends experience.
Have a problem. Have not an email in two weeks until today. Don’t know why. Have
received other email from England so Whats up;? I need my regulardose of “Paul”.
On a slightly different subject, I attended a weekend wood working event at ” Haughly Park” Suffolk and one of the stands was an eighty six year old lady ( Harriot ) using her old tools making furniture. Trained seventy years ago as a cabinet maker she is still using her original mid ninteeth century wooen plane and saws. She has a young lady apprentice and it was a pleasure to talk to them and see them working wood .
That’s good. Not sure where woodworking is headed these days. Seems that politics dictate. You don’t say whether either of them made or had made their living from woodworking or whether it was an interest or hobby for them. That would be interesting to me and I would be interested in speaking to Harriet if she has as there are so few woodworkers who have accomplished that and the condition is worsening and the problem seems to me non-gender specific. I know more cabinet makers who trained and don’t make or haven’t really made their living from their craft than do these days and most rely on their spouse earning more than they do as crafting artisan.