The New Craftsmen @thenewcraftsmen-blog - Tumblr Blog

I’ve given the Orkney Chair a contemporary twist by combining a windsor chair vernacular with the Orkney straw work.

Gareth Neal

Contemporary Orkney Chair, by Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld

The New Craftsmen’s first major collaboration: a contemporary Orkney chair by Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld, crafted onsite during the pop-up.

Visitors to The New Craftsmen’s pop-up shop today and tomorrow (3rd and 4th December) will be able to watch makers Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld put the finishing touches to their contemporary Orkney Chair - a collaborative initiative between The New Craftsmen, Dalston based furniture maker Gareth Neal, and traditional Orkney chair maker Kevin Gauld.

Having traveled from London to Scotland to work on the design and materials, Gareth Neal will be using his ability to combine traditional furniture making techniques with the use of cutting edge technology, to give a contemporary twist to this iconic piece of British furniture. In the style of a true collaboration, the formation of the chair will come together with the expertise of Kevin Gauld of The Orkney Furniture Company, who has refined the centuries old technique since an apprenticeship at the age of 16, even growing his own oats to create the chair’s straw back.

The traditional Orkney chair is the epitome of resourcefulness, and of design following function; traditionally a low chair, small stumpy legs were fashioned to enable the sitter to work, perhaps knit, from the ground, and a draw was included to house tools. Due to the lack of trees in Orkney, driftwood from the beach was often substituted for wood, and the long straw back was curved to protect the sitter from draughts.

#Orkney Chair

STITCHING, BUILDING, PRINTING, WHISKY TASTING - WHAT’S ON AT THE NEW CRAFTSMEN THIS WEEK...

With the opening of The New Craftsmen pop-up shop TOMORROW, visitors to 5 Carlos Place can enjoy a fascinating array of interactive workshops and demonstrations of fine craftsmanship from the makers themselves throughout the week.

Orkney Chair Demonstration. Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th December, 12 - 6pm. Watch furniture makers Gareth Neal and Kevin Gauld finish the making of their contemporary Orkney chair, combining cutting edge design with a centuries old technique to bring the chair to life.

Mr Smith’s Letterpress mini workshop. Everyday, 12 - 6pm. Mr Smith brings his original wood and metal type to create one-off prints and exquisite printed matter using a process rarely still seen in design today. Mr Smith will be at Carlos Place for the duration of the event designing, setting & printing posters and teaching/inviting visitors how to create type the Mr Smith way. There is an opportunity for visitors to turn up impromptu for half hour sessions between 12pm and 6pm (at £30) and get their hands inky to create a unique printed poster/Christmas gift. "I really like the idea of people coming to make something for someone else . . ."

Glass engraving. Wed 5th December, 12 - 6pm. Fans of Michael Ruh’s glass tableware will have the opportunity to have pieces engraved and personalised by the man himself.

Lino block printing. Thursday 6th December, 2 - 6pm. Come and learn about the process of handblock printing with The New Craftsmen’s Cameron Short - the protege of acclaimed wallpaper designer Marthe Armitage.

Late night shopping with Balvenie. Thursday 6th December, 6 - 8pm. Come after work to enjoy a dram of whisky while you shop!

Stitch a message. Friday 7th December, 12 - 6pm. Stitcher and calligrapher Rosalind Wyatt will be stitching in store, personalising napkins and napkins ties for an entirely individual gift.

#What's on #Orkney Chair #Mr Smith's Letterpress #Cameron Short #Rosalind Wyatt

#Mr Smith's Letterpress

My work aims to elevate the art of the woven cloth to a new and contemporary level.

Ptolemy Mann

#Ptolemy Mann #textiles

Cushions from "The Chromascope Series" by Ptolemy Mann

#Ptolemy Mann #textiles

Ptolemy Mann, expert colour consultant and weaver

In addition to being a successful colour consultant, Ptolemy Mann is celebrated nationwide for her textile artworks, and has established herself as the unique creator of one-off woven architectural art panels. Her series of hand dyed and woven circular artworks present explosions of elegant and dynamic colour in juxtaposition, and make for unique and vibrant artworks for the wall.

Ptolemy has developed ‘The Chromascope Series’ of art cushions especially for The New Craftsmen; in a strictly limited edition these pieces are made from Ptolemy’s unique collection of laboriously hand dyed and woven swatches collected over the last 16 years, and stitched together by expert needle-smith Nina Plumer into cushions of an exact formation of colour and tone.

#Ptolemy Mann #textiles

Ptolemy Mann, portrait by Alun Callender

#Ptolemy Mann

Ptolemy Mann, weaver

#Ptolemy Mann #textiles

‘Isle of Auskerry’ - North Ronaldsay sheep farmers in Orkney

There are no better words to describe the life venture of Teresa and her partner Simon Brogan, than her own chronicle of their decidedly rural enterprise on the Isle of Auskerry...

Nearly 40 years ago, my partner Simon Brogan decided that he could not stand the life of a commuter any more and bought himself a small remote island in Orkney. He knew nothing about sheep but set himself the task of learning how to farm sheep on the island as it was the only way he could see to make a living there. Four years later I married him and we started this business together.

The island has 250 acres and we were the only inhabitants until we were joined by our three sons.

The business has grown out of our desire to prove that it is possible to make a living from the local ‘wild’ (North Ronaldsay) sheep, which are unique in several ways: the age at which they mature, the quality and colours of their fleece, and their preference for eating seaweed! They are also extremely rare as there are only three flocks left in Orkney.

These sheep produce sheepskins of many colours. All the sheepskins are unique as each one will have a mixture of shades from cream to chocolate through caramel or from silver to black through pumice and slate. In addition almost all of them have symmetrical spines or saddle markings, and the length of wool varies.

It has taken us 30 years to perfect the art of curing sheepskins by hand, but we cure all the sheepskins on the island, using rainwater to soften them, and washing them in huge ceramic sinks that were once used for Lighthouse keepers laundry! The skins require gentle and individual handling and are not suited to machine processes. They are gently squeezed through the wooden rollers of an antique mangle. Once clean, they are stretched on driftwood frames and painted with our curing mixture before being left to dry naturally. The finishing process involves abrading and working the leather by hand until it is smooth and soft.

We only produce a limited number of sheepskins a year as it is so time consuming, and we have never found 2 skins exactly the same, so when you buy one of our sheepskins you are buying a completely natural, but also entirely individual product.

#Isle of Auskerry #North Ronaldsay sheepskins

North Ronaldsay sheepskins, hand cured by 'Isle of Auskerry'

#Isle of Auskerry #North Ronaldsay sheepskins

MY WORK AIMS TO COMBINE FUNCTION WITH VITALITY AND FLUIDITY.

Ndidi Ekubia

#Ndidi Ekubia

Ndidi Ekubia, silversmith

#Silversmith

Ndidi Ekubia, Silversmith, Cockpit Arts studio, London

Using traditional silversmithing techniques that require the beating of sheet metal over steel and wooden forms, Ndidi produces a range of exquisite vessels, including wine goblets and ice buckets. For The New Craftsmen she has produced a new addition to her work – a limited number of classic household candle snuffers.

Ndidi’s inspirations stem from the patterns of everyday life; from the cityscape of London through to organic natural forms. In turn, her artistic landscape has been determined by the bold Africa shapes, textiles, food and passionate family conversation of her childhood.

The surface of the metal plays a vital part in her designs, and her work aims to combine function with vitality and fluidity, pushing the metal to its limits through her rhythmic process of making.

#Ndidi Ekubia

Ndidi Ekubia demonstrating the thought and emotion behind her daily work

#Ndidi Ekubia #silversmith

Wine bowl, Ndidi Ekubia

#Ndidi Ekubia #Silversmith

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

The New Craftsmen