The New Studio

Rose Court, Olney,
Buckinghamshire.
MK46 4BY
Tel: 01234 711994 Fax: 01234 241405

Quentin Bruckland - Artist/Textile Designer

Quentin graduated from Brunel University in July 1996. He has worked for Kim Clarke in London, Broggia Design in Italy, and Hunky Dory. He now works as a freelance designer for several London design Studios. His designs have been sold in America, Japan, Australia, France and Great Britain.

His style of work is very broad incorporating a high standard of drawing, a good eye for colour and a strong sense of humour.

The designs displayed in The New Studio were drawn freehand on a silk screen, coloured with procien dyes and then pulled through the screen using binder. Further detail is then added by over drawing.

Cities

Jeni Clarke - Sculptor

Jeni Clarke is married with three children and two grandsons and lives and works in Northamptonshire. When she and her family lived in Hampstead Village, London, she studied sculpture under Mary Gorrara at THe Camden Arts Centre during the seventies.
Working in clay and plasticene, her work is then cast into bronze, bronze resin, ferrocotta or marble resin.
Jeni concentrates mainly on the female form and the larger pieces are particularly suitable for water features or garden display.
Jeni has exhibited at 'Spectrum' in Middlesex, 'The Stour Gallery' in Warwickshire, 'The Linda Blackstone Gallery' in Pinner as well as here at 'The New Studio', Olney.

Jonathan Knight - Furniture Maker

Jonathan is a member of The Society of Designer Craftsmen and Northamptonshire Guild of Designer Craftsmen. His work has been shown in many exhibitions and galleries, both national and local.

Jonathan has been making furniture to his own designs since 1980, often to specific commissions.

He is particularly interested in widening the expressive qualities of his work, and has explored many non - traditional methods in order to do so. Toolmarks and grit blasting are often used to create decorative effects. As a consequence a progressive development is noticeable in his work.

Ash Chair

Gunter Krumins - Potter

Gunta's work is totally handbuilt. It is a slow process, almost sedimentary, in its creation; as each layer of clay needs to be strengthened before a new layer can be applied. The clay is coated by a slip that needs to dry and be burnished by hand in order to give depth and luminosity. Then it is fired for the first time. Gunta then applies a very simple pattern, which in a technique akin to batik, is reduced to a dark hint of a mark in the second smoke firing. And only when Gunta cleans it, removing the excess soot from the last firing Gunta holds the immanence of that firing. Each vessel is different, they cannot be reproduced, each has its strengths, each almost contains its own soul.

Stuart Lennie- Wooden Toy Maker

Stuart Lennie was voted best newcomer to the British Toymakers Guild in 1996. In 1998 Stuart was awarded the 'Marjorie Abbatt Award for Playability'.

Di - An Chen McCormick - Potter  

Di-An Chen McCormick came to the U.K. from Hong Kong to work in broadcasting. Her interest in making pots began at an adult education course. This led to formal training in Studio Pottery at Harrow School of Art. She now has a workshop in Milton Keynes and is also a freelance radio producer.

Most of her work comprises of wheel thrown porcelain pots. The round form often being taken apart and reassembled to accentuate curves and edges. Work is often an assembly of pieces taken from a variety of circular forms. The constructed pots are simply glazed in order to allow the lines and volume of the pot to be clearly expressed. Di-An also uses clay coloured with oxides; creating unpredictable and unique swirls of colour.
Di-An's work has featured in a variety of exhibitions throughout the U.K.

Vicki Oliver - Artist

Vicki completed a B.A.(Hons) in printed textile design at Loughborough College of Art and Design in 1999. Following a trip to Mexico, Vicki then sold her designs freelance.

In 1998 Vicki made the decision to pursue her career in painting. She loves using rich colours and decorative themes in her work. This is achieved by using inks, oil pastels, paint, collage and pencils. Vicki lives and works in Bedfordshire.

Gill Parry - Potter

Gill Parry has been working with clay for many years. Five years ago she set up her own studio in Brighton from where she sells her work.
Gill's work consists of one off hand built pieces using the coiling and stabbing technique. She uses a heavily grogged stoneware clay body to produce a rough texture and add interest to the glaze.
Gill is inspired by natural organic forms and the asymmetry and movement of their shapes. The glazes are poured and built up in layers which create light, shade and spaces.

Karen Porter - Potter

From her village studio in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir, Karen Porter designs and creates her vibrant hand painted pottery.

Inspiration from flowers and foliage, in gardens great and small, finds expression in her exhuberant and endlessly colourful art.

Freehand painted and fired in tiny batches, Karen's process begins with raw clay and ends with a glowing floral extravaganza across a range of plates, bowls, dishes, jugs and vases in her expanding collection.

Guy Ravine B.A., R.P.T. - Registered Professional Turner

Guy Ravine took up woodturning in 1979, following in the footsteps of his father, Gus Ravine, who had become a professional turner in 1974

He produces a wide variety of work, being equally adept as a spindle turner or faceplate turner. In the 1980's Guy specialised in small spindle turned work - much of it inspired by English work of the 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries. This work is still produced, but the range has since increased steadily throughout the 90's

A recent interest has been natural edged wet turned work in woods such as Sumac, Laburnam, Birch and Cherry. These non-functional pieces contrast with a range of salad and fruit bowls in Ash and Sycamore.

It is difficult making a living purely from "artistic" work in most crafts. Woodturning is no exception. Depite the introduction of automatic lathes there is still a demand for hand turned furniture parts and architectural turnings - both new and replacement. Guy recently undertook a commision for 80 Oak balusters, 100mm diameter by 900mm long for a staircase and balcony. This sort of work is a significant part of his output.

Guy is always keen to experiment and often works in non wood materials, such as bone, horn, acrylic, aliminium, Bankisia seedpods,Brazil nut husks, Tagua nuts and metal inlays.

His work has been widely exhibited, both in the U.K. and abroad, and is in many private collections worldwide.

Will Shakspeare - Glass Blower

Will Shakspeare graduated from West Surrey College of Art and Design in 1980 after originally intending to study ceramics, before changing course to become a glass blower. Will has been running his Taunton, Somerset based glass-blowing business for ten years, and now sells his work to outlets nationwide, including Liberty's and the Conran Shop.

Will rebuilt his furnace himself, to his own requirements and now employs three glassblowers to assist him in producing his striking and colourful designs.

Before blowing the glass a pre-heated blow pipe is used to gather the molten material. Held horizontally and constantly rotated the glass is" marvered" on a steel arm. Coloured glass chips, powders or hot glass trails are then added and, once the piece begins to cool, the first bubble is blown. Once completed the pieces are cooled slowly in an annealler to help prevent cracking; after which it is ready for grinding or sand blasting and finishing.