porfolio of work

About

A bit of wood Steve works from Powys,  Designing and making products in high quality materials. He is interested in making well designed, made to last,things. Where possible he uses locally sourced sustainable materials in his work.
Steve’s art works are responses to the natural environment he encounters. In one strand of work he either manipulates found materials on site to create abstract stacks, grids or geometric forms. These ephemeral sculptures are soon eroded or dispersed and are therefore transient, his only record of them is photographic. In other work he collects materials whilst walking and then on reflection reworks them back in his workshop. These pieces often integrate another strand to his work, mapping. Steve has reworked a variety of materials to take the form of mathematically accurate 3D relief topographies. These relate specifically to journeys or sites with memory and are often made with a specific commission or client in mind.

Steve qualified as a joiner through City and Guilds in 1988 and has worked on numerous design and build projects. Involved at every step of the way in the process of acquisition and crafting of materials to arrive at a bespoke product.
Steve has recently worked on a number of green oak timber frame structures, designing contemporary pieces using construction methods that have changed little over hundreds of years. He will produce a design, and often a scale model to meet a particular brief. Steve then cuts the frame on site in his yard at Waen Uchaf using traditional techniques. The structure is then raised on site.

Steve has been exploring ceramics and taking commissions, since he was at school. It was by learning to throw, fire and glaze pots, that he first discovered a passion for sculptural form and the process of manipulating materials. Inspired by the craft ethos of pioneer Bernard Leach and the elegant forms of Lucie Rie, Steve went on to study the medium at Harrow College of Art. Since then he has continued to take commissions and developed his own style, experimenting with regular wood firings and raku glaze effects. Steve now takes great pleasure in passing on his skills to friends, family and strangers alike.