CORNWALL DESIGN: THE ART OF MAKING

BLOWFISH GLASS / BETHANY WOOD

Bethany Wood graduated from De Montfort University with a Design degree and specialism in glass making, and for the last six years has worked with many renowned glass makers across England.

“If I was not an artist, I would have been a performer. I chose glass, which I do believe is a performance of art; both disciplines create the same energy. There is rhythm and adrenaline in glass making, within a routine that is planned very carefully.”

BROCK / AMY BROCK MORGAN

Amy’s work is created from remnants, end of roll and repurposed cloth. She seeks out the fabric, piecing the treasure together to make heirlooms and artworks. Letting the cloth with all the stories it has collected take on a new life. Her work pays deep respect/homage to all the women who have worked many hours to make cloth in factories and mills, so their efforts are given reverence and continue to live on.

“My work explores the place where the sea meets the land, the interface. The power the land and the sea live and guide by. The colour, texture and shape which change, evolve and invoke. The peace I find in this place and how it supports endless imagination and curiosity. My work is based on process, it is all the parts which aren’t seen in the sourcing and making, as well as the end piece.”

KINSLEY BYRNE

The creative work of Kinsley Byrne is a visual testimony to humankind’s primitive impulse “to make”.

“My work explores the making of furniture and symbolic artifacts through direct carving in wood. Finding expression through ideas with a metaphorical connection to existence and the human journey. Honing simple forms, this creative practice allows for a greater framework to express ideas and emotions, away from the constraints of traditional joinery.”

With nature being a starting point, in the form of massive blocks of orphaned timber, perhaps the result of an unfortunate West Country lightning strike. A form will emerge, liberated from the grain of timber, using fists, clutching handmade hammers and Japanese steel chisels.

DARN COLLECTIVE / AMELIA PEMBERTON

Launched in 2019, Darn continues to gain momentum with sporadic, limited-run collections of 100% silk scarves and home accessories, individually designed and distributed by hand.

Darn’s founder, Amelia Pemberton, is a multi-disciplinary designer and photographer who is known for her entrepreneurial spirit and zest for life. She draws inspiration from vintage textiles, the British countryside and her close community of creative friends.

Amelia is particular about the British factories she works with, and appreciates the flexibility within design that is created between manufacturers and customer when working in a small-scale setup. She hopes this will contribute to building a better world.

JACK DOHERTY CERAMICS

Irish Potter Jack Doherty lives and works in Penzance, Cornwall. He makes porcelain vessel forms that are thrown on the potter’s wheel and then carved and shaped when the clay is soft to reflect the fluidity of the material. His elemental colour and surface textures are created by the fusion of fire and soda, leaving behind a subtle palette of smokey grey, lemon, russet and turquoise.

From 2008 – 2013 Jack was the first Lead Potter and Creative Director at the refurbished Leach Pottery in St Ives, Cornwall where he established the production studio and designed a contemporary domestic range of soda-fired tableware.

FRANCLI CRAFTWEAR

Driven by the wild landscapes and creative spirit of Cornwall, Francli makes function-led workwear, tools and accessories for rural-based craftspeople, handmade with repurposed materials, Devonshire leather, and British-made fabrics.

These mindfully crafted goods help establish the Francli name into a brand associated with well-made, well-loved and lasting products.

Their workshop is a bustling place where great relationships with customers thrive and open process and purpose-led design are key. Cutting, stitching and creating hundreds of one-off items, the original vision still remains true – to live by the sea and make things by hand.

TOR HARRISON

Tor Harrison is a potter living and working in Cornwall, specialising in slow, intuitive hand-building. Every piece is formed using traditional techniques to gently sculpt the clay. It is an inherently meditative process, each piece embodying the natural rhythms and marks of her fingertips as the clay is pinched into form. Glaze pools in still visible finger-marks, inviting touch. Light reflects off the surface, highlighting the imperfection of the handmade.

Objects hold spiritual weight, why we are drawn to certain material things is endlessly fascinating and personal. Tor’s work combines a deeply earthy quality with a celestial resonance.

JOHN MACKENZIE / JM CERAMICS

John works with hand-thrown clay, building his own wood-fired kiln and exploring the unique colours, surfaces and effects which can be only be achieved when working with this process.

John aims to explore and accentuate the protracted and extreme firing process by developing his own clays, glazes and slips which respond to the flame, ember and ash. He includes locally found materials to further develop deep surface effects, texture and colour. John has become particularly interested in ancient Chinese glazes and how these interact with the ‘fly ash’ and embers which are so prominent when firing an anagama kiln.

EMILY NIXON JEWELLERY

Emily Nixon started to make experimental, sculptural jewellery in 2000, which developed into the smaller scale pieces that she makes today. She originally studied fine art textiles at Goldsmith’s College and spent a postgraduate year at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Art in Poland.

Beach finds are tools in the process of her making, the fabric-like twists and folds of seaweed; the diversity in the contours of pebbles; the weathered character of flotsam. This dichotomy of the precious and the organic characterises so much of her inspiration. At the heart of her work remains the sculpture and tapestry of her early fine art practice.

TOM RAFFIELD DESIGN

Tom Raffield is one of a new generation of designers and makers, using his craft in innovative and contemporary ways. Leading the charge in sustainable design, he is driven to forge a path to excellence and cause as little environmental impact as possible along the way.

Since discovering the traditional, age-old technique of steam bending wood Tom has been on an incredible self-taught journey of developing and understanding the process to become one of the world leaders in his craft.

Tom’s fascination with the ecological technique allows him to create intricate curves and twists, mimicking organic shapes and celebrating the very thing that inspires him – nature.

REBECCA RASMUSSEN / RAZMAKER

Rebecca is a designer-maker who primarily works with brass and recycled silver. She loves to combine different metals and materials, adding to the visual interest and unique aesthetic of every piece.

“I create my pieces using a small collection of traditional tools and techniques from my spare room at my home in Penryn, Cornwall. I take so much pleasure from the materials and tools I use. The subtle textures that a steel bench block gives, damaged through accidental slips of the hammer, make up the textures in a lot of my pieces. Rivets are a simple yet incredibly intimate way of joining my pieces. Such care and detail goes into each rivet, every one different, they tend to take on their own shapes in most cases.”