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Editor's Notes

1. I make one off and limited edition, bespoke hand made pieces for public, private and corporate installation. I use laminate and wood and work with lasers, cnc routing and hand construction techniques. Although I studied textiles, I enjoy working with more hard edged materials.
2. INSPIRATION - IMAGERY I gather inspiration from all sorts of areas, always keeping an eye out for imagery I like. The next piece was inspired by movement, flight, dynamism, repitition and optical illusions.
3. This is the final piece, which was laser cut and hand constructed using coloured laminates and plywood. It was installed in a lift lobby in a public building.
4. Here is a close up.
5. INSPIRATION - STYLE The style of my work owes a lot to print making techniques. In printmaking colours need to be simplified and blocked into tones. These techniques are used in art, textiles, poster design and graphics. I build up images by using carefully chosen blocks of colour.
6. I often start by observing subjects in a gouache or watercolour painting Here I have picked out objects in the landscape using blocks of colour.
7. Here is a section of the final piece. The watercolour sketch has been translated into a computer CAD file, and then Different colours of laminate have been cut by laser using those files, and assembled of different planes.
8. INSPIRATION - MATERIALS AND PROCESSES Crossing over traditional boundaries, using materials in unconventional ways, applying materials to different settings, or combining materials and processes in new ways, is a great way to make something new and unique. Here designer Helen Amy Murray has manipulated leather to become 3D, and almost look like craved stone. She applies this technique to furniture, walls, and simply as an ‘art’ piece.
9. I take inspiration from other fields of design. I look at furniture, ceramics, textiles And all sorts of other surfaces. I love the layers in plywood, and so have incorporated this material into my work. I also love 3D surfaces, such as this plaster decoration from Morocco. The geometry of Islamic design lends itself to experimenting with depth. The colourful textile is a ‘mola’ from Panama. I am inspired by the way th colour is layered and cut away
10. Routing is a technique often used in industry to gouge or cut materials. In this large scale piece I have used a computer controlled router to create a pattern, and placed the colours on different planes to create an optical effect.
11. AMBITIONS I am working on scaling up my work so that I can make installations for buildings, and collaborate with architects. There are increasing opportunities for designers to apply colour and pattern into designs for buildings. This is the airport in Marrakesh.
12. Rather than just apply design to the surface of a building, here the designer Thomas Hetherwick has used pattern to actually create the structure of the building.
13. This live plant wall is a good example of how creative you can be when considering materials.
14. Designer Esto Barnes has created this 3D rug. It has been hand carved to create an effect a bit like a mountain range. The next few slides show how you can create depth in a rug, Either by raising the surface, and by cutting into the surface.
15. 3d maquettes or samples help me understand the depth in a piece. Here I am using mount board coloured with card to help me think through a design. Designers often make small test pieces before embarking on the final full-scale piece.
16. These are some small card samples I have done to represent rug designs. Even though I usually work in hard materials, I have been asked to translate these ideas into rug designs, because my ideas about colour pattern and depth are relevant to rugs.
17. Brief: Design a rug using circles, squares and triangles. Consider colour, pattern and depth. You can create depth by layering up the coloured card. The finished design should be postcard sized.
18. You might like to start with a pencil in your sketch book use just using circles, triangles and squares to build up a pattern. Once you have a pattern you can start to work in coloured card, cutting, layering, inlaying.