Tag Archive for: contemporary maker

Heirloom of the Day: Darning Mushroom.

Q&A – maker of the week: Neil Turner

Turner by name, turner by nature.

Neil Turner Artisan

An ‘atronym’ is the word for when a person’s name ‘is regarded as amusingly appropriate to their occupation’. Neil Turner introduced us to this term. He could have been called ‘farmer’, based on his previous work, however his destiny, it seems, was to become a wood turner.

Neil Turner was a farmer all his life, but from the age of 18, he pursued woodturning as a creative outlet, working in his shed at the end of every day. Upon retiring, he has been able to dedicate his time entirely to creating highly complex turned pieces from native Australian wood.

Neil is a man of few words, but here in this short & sweet Q&A he hints to the meditative enjoyment of working steadily in his workshop, and the joy he finds in timber and nature. To learn more about his craft, click the links below to watch the short story film ‘Neil Turner Artisan’ and find Neil in our Directory too.

Read on for a glimpse into Neil Turner’s woodturning life.

What is your craft? How do you like to describe yourself?

Artistic wood sculptor; woodturner; fine furniture maker.

Your studio – where and what is your studio/workspace like?

My workshop space, in the south-west of Western Australia, is broken into areas for furniture making, carving and woodturning. I don’t have a showroom to display finished products.

Which of your tools do you love the most and why?

The spokeshave – I enjoy using this tool as I feel it’s an extension of my hands.

Your inspiration – what really pumps your creative heart?

Beautiful pieces of timber & nature’s simplicity of design.

What was the spark that made you choose this particular medium?

I’ve always enjoyed timber, not sure why; it just resonates for me. Timber allows me to use creative designs but with limitations.

Your working style – how do you like to start on a project and then progress it? Do you stick to a working schedule 9-5 or flex around a bit? Do you play loud music? Are your pets welcome in your space?

I may have two or three pieces on the go at one time, moving from one to the other. I have ear phones with music on but occasionally I do enjoy the quiet time. Besides the occasional kangaroo that pokes it’s head into my workshop we don’t have pets anymore.

What are you working towards right now?

I’m catching up on work that has been neglected for ‘Turner + Turner’. I’m always trying to catch up; making many pieces at once is rare. Because there are no markets at the moment, only online, hopefully I can “get ahead”.

For ‘Neil Turner Artisan’ I’ve been creating pieces for collectors in the USA with a few more sculptures still to make. I’m designing a lectern and presentation table to make before the end of the year. Also designing pieces for the Craft Triennial exhibition in 2021.

 If you could land the dream commission/exhibition/project, what would it be?

To make a piece for Parliament House Canberra.

[Collected 22 May 2019.]

View a snapshot of work by ‘Neil Turner Artisan’ and Turner+Turner’ in our Directory – with links to websites, shop  and outlets.

Watch short film ‘Neil Turner Artisan’. Film-maker Rae Fallon; Music by Joel Ritchie. (Vimeo 02:50)

Watch a carving and texturing demonstration by Neil Turner for the Rocky Mountain Woodturners  (Recorded 4 June 2015. YouTube 1:37:46).

This is a standard set of questions that we ask of all our guest presenters and ‘makers of the week’. They are deliberately low-key.

Post script anecdote…

We first met Neil through a referral to photographer and film-maker Rae Fallon when we were scouting for local films about makers for ‘Real to Reel: The Craft Film Festival‘. Rae submitted the short film she had just completed with Neil and we were delighted that it was accepted for the 2019 edition of the Festival (which, by the way, is still touring Australia – its dates extended due to the pandemic.) This film from WA was one of three films from Australia to make the cut alongside two animations by Tjanpi Desert Weavers, and 30 other international films.

Anyway, when we premiered ‘Real to Reel 2019’ at The Backlot in Perth last year, we were delighted that Neil and his wife Suellen were able to join us (they live in a coastal town, about 175km south of Perth). Neil had a busy schedule in Perth that weekend as he is always in demand to give talks and demonstrations at the WA Wood Show; he even crammed in a radio interview with Bec Bowman on ArtBeat at RTRfm. Rae was also amazingly able to make it too, with husband Shane, having just welcomed baby Tully a couple of weeks before.

Q&A – maker of the week: Claire Townsend

Jeweller, Metalsmith and Educator

Claire Townsend March 2019We first met Claire Townsend when we started up Maker&Smith and were looking to plan some craft specific talks and discussions. In March 2019 we hosted a one-day forum, ADORN, about contemporary jewellery and metalsmiths in partnership with the City of Joondalup, to complement an exhibition of work by the JMGA-WA (Jewellers & Metalsmiths’ Group of Western Australia) and the City’s Urban Couture festival.

After an illuminating talk from Katherine Kalaf about her journey promoting contemporary jewellery in Australia, Claire introduced the gathered throng to her work, alongside five other ‘smiths’, and later ran an enamelling workshop for keen amateurs.

We are pleased that our work on the ADORN programme grew our acquaintances in the local jewellery & metalsmithing network and our knowledge of their unique talents. It has also informed us of the challenges they face as skilled makers in Western Australia (WA).

Claire highlights in this short & sweet Q&A her love of rings and her desire to see craft and design nurtured in Western Australia.

Read on for a glimpse into Claire’s smithing life.

What is your craft? How do you like to describe yourself?

I mainly make jewellery and like to use traditional techniques to make wearable art.

Your studio – where and what is your studio/workspace like?

I live and work from my studio in Lesmurdie, in the Perth Hills. I love it!

Which of your tools do you love the most and why?

I have a beautiful old hammer that came from my grandfather’s shed. He used to make wooden toys, so I never knew why he had a metalsmith’s repousse hammer, but I love that he used to hold that same handle.

Your inspiration – what really pumps your creative heart?

I am most interested in the marks we leave on each other through our exchanges. Friends, strangers, lovers, family, we all affect each other, so I guess I’m interested in humans, and how we interact.

What was the spark that made you choose this particular medium?

I made my first ring in high school and I gave it to a friend. The joy I had in seeing him wear it with pride has given me an ongoing desire to make things for others to wear.

Your working style – how do you like to start on a project and then progress it? Do you stick to a working schedule 9-5 or flex around a bit? Do you play loud music? Are your pets welcome in your space?

I am really flexible, because I work around my family of four. I am in the studio whenever I can be, my dog keeps me constant company, and I mostly listen to podcasts. Huge fan of true crime, and I love getting immersed in the story while I’m immersed in my work.

What are you working towards right now?

I want to make a new selection of rings to sell at some galleries over east*, and am exploring more enamelling in my pieces.

If you could land the dream commission/exhibition/project, what would it be?

I would love to put together an education program for contemporary jewellers in Perth. A program that produced and fostered the future of craft in WA amongst this ever changing fiscal and technological driven landscape. I’d also get to make rings at the same time!

*this is the term that people in WA use to refer to the eastern states of Australia.

[Collected 3 November 2019.]

Learn more about Claire Townsend and view a sample of her work in our Directory – with links to her Instagram feed, website and online store.

*Since we had this chat with Claire, we’ve had many discussions with her about the need for a craft specific centre of excellence in Perth and Western Australia. We continue to have conversations along these lines with many local craftspeople of differing specialisms. If you’d like to join one of our chat sessions and/or can contribute any intel, please contact us.

This is a standard set of questions that we ask of all our guest presenters and ‘makers of the week’. They are deliberately low-key.

Tag Archive for: contemporary maker