Inspiration in Wood

  Artist at Work
  Dovetailed Drawer Boxes
  Table and Chair



 My woodworking journey began with the Arts and Crafts style. I received my training in Gloucestershire, with Kenneth Marshall, who had trained in the Edward Barnsley Workshop. This gave me a solid grounding in furniture making skills, with the emphasis on high quality work in the traditional style.

In 1981, I made the move to the North of Scotland, to the beautiful village of Findhorn. With my workshop studio opposite the Findhorn Foundation, I found the inspiration to develop my own style of working. Looking out across the vast, open stretches of the Findhorn Bay to the hills beyond, I set to work. My first projects were small tactile boxes, some of which won prizes at the Scottish Craft Centre, and I then moved on to larger designs for furniture. I very much enjoy enhancing the beauty in the wood whilst creating useful pieces.

Artist at Work

I also became interested in sculpting Crosses - originally inspired by the Celtic Cross, but developing from that my own interpretation of the Cross as a symbol, which has led me to design various Cross Sculptures with the Tree of Life symbol carved upon them.

I see myself as an Artist in Wood. My work now consists of bespoke commissions for both individual homes and community projects, and small and large pieces for my Studio Shop. My designs are inspired by the handling of the wood and its patterns and textures, and aim to give a real sense of the original tree living on in beautiful furniture.

Richard Brockbank