My Story
Knysna has always been a special place to me. I set up my workshop here and source my materials directly from the Knysna Forest and its surroundings. On a Sunday morning you will likely see me driving past with a surfboard on the roof, ready to paddle out into one of the beautiful bays in our area.
Mission
Traditional craft and hand tool skills are a defining feature of my craft. I have incorporated these values into modern design and continually strive to find a balance. My work aims to address a function, while enriching people’s lives, to make intelligent and lasting use of a very special material. Craftspeople need to take responsibility for the sustainable harvesting of their materials. The fact that I didn't actually cut the tree down myself does not absolve me of the responsibility. You can't set out to make something beautiful, by destroying something incredible.
Materials
I am regularly rendered speechless by the beauty of a piece of wood. Often all I can do with it is to cut it and show it. There is no need or opportunity for me to get creative. Wood, as a sculptor friend would say, can arrive with a lot of ego. I have chosen to work with a material that is unique and precious, and in doing so take on the responsibility of using this resource in a way that is sustainable and benefits our indigenous ecosystems. This is why I acquire my indigenous woods directly from the Knysna Forestry, who strictly control the removal of trees in a sustainable manner that encourages the development of new indigenous trees in the forest. I also use a portion of invasive species of wood for many of my products, the removal of which helps protect the indigenous forests.
The Craftsman
I have worked with wood professionally since 1978, serving an apprenticeship as a joiner and qualifying in 1981. During this time I also worked in cabinetmaking workshops, producing traditional furniture from indigenous woods, in the Knysna/Tsitsikama area. Furniture making became a passion and I left in 1982 to do the City and Guilds of London advanced course in fine craftsmanship and design at Rycotewood College. After a period of working abroad I returned to Knysna to set up my own workshop, working between fitting yacht interiors and making bespoke furniture pieces.