Do you really need a book of writing on craft on your bookshelf? Is craft not about doing rather than reading? Do things not speak for themselves? Is this the real thing? If we glance sideways at the art world we see that whilst artists make, and at art college they learn to speak and write well about their making,…
It is hard to know how to do justice to this book in just a few words. The book is the product of 11 years meticulous research by Tanya Harrod, possibly the best writer commentating on the craft field today. Michael Cardew is a seminal figure in 20th century craft and a torch bearer for a particular focus within the craft…
Back in April after a day breaking stones for a new footpath I wrote asking if hard work was good or bad. Jeff one of my blog readers in the US mentioned a new book by Matthew Crawford. “Shopcraft as Soulcraft:An Inquiry into the Value of Work” It was not out in the UK so I ordered it from the…
Very busy and behind with work at the moment but lots of interesting things which would be nice to share when I get time. Today I just wanted to share a few thoughts on wabi sabi. Ever since Bernard Leach went to Japan and wrote about Japanese aesthetics there has been great interest in the Japanese ideas about beauty. I…
No blog post from me today but I wanted to share Ewan Clayton’s inspirational speech from the Heritage Crafts Association forum at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Many folk found it incredibly thought provoking and asked for a transcript, thankfully we had a recorder running and Ewan gave permission for it to be published. I am sure my blog readers…
Dorothy Hartley was born in the 1890’s and spent most of her long life traveling the country and writing about old craft skills, country ways, old recipes and such like. There are many books of that type and most are pretty much like modern day local journalism, it is clear the writer stayed long enough to get the basics of…
The February Edition of countryman magazine features several articles on traditional crafts. I bought it because there is a 4 page feature on my bowlturning work with some nice discussion about the Heritage Crafts Association. There is also a nice feature on the work of Paul Felix who has been photographing traditional craftspeople for 20 years. He has a wonderful…
Friday I went to London again and had a day of meetings, first with Kathryn Hollingsworth director of Aawaz communications PR company and a basketmaker. Kathryn and her friend Andrea are happy to help the Heritage Crafts Association with our PR work and bring a wealth of experience. Next stop was DCMS to meet with Annabel Houghton the adviser on…
I just wanted to share with my blog readers a rather wonderful blog by a Savile Row Tailor Thomas Mahon. “The English Cut” This was an early blog post from March 2005 “I do think the institution that has clothed most of the world’s most influential people for the best part of two hundred years deserves Heritage Status. And it…
So Monday in the House of Lords and Wednesday stood in the rain sawing up logs to make bowl blanks, my life is nothing if not varied at the moment. Today I cut up a sycamore log and I can tell from the blanks that it will make really nice star bowls. I have been out of stock of them…
