August 29th, 2007
Craftsmanship
As we have written before, there is a reaction to mass-produced artefacts and furniture - the new trend is to commission bespoke furnishings and decorative elements. We, at Forlook, have decided to give artists and designers the opportunity to show off their work in our blog. They can get a bit of exposure and hopefully get commissioned, whilst other designers, artists and readers may be inspired by their work.
Our first case-study is Andrew Boyce.
Andrew Boyce is an artist/craftsman based in the border country between Gloucestershire and South Wales. For the last 18 years he has worked for small manufacturing companies in a production management capacity. He has discovered and developed skills in pattern and mould making – further enhancing his design ability and artistry. He has also produced a varied body of commissioned work from most periods of British history. This has included architectural carvings and mouldings; paintings & drawings; figure carving; modelled wax and multimedia reliefs; fantasy artwork and heraldic sign work.
Due to the economic pressures on the industries in which he has worked – soaring material costs and the enormous volume of imported goods - Andrew has increasingly felt it necessary to concentrate on his personal commission work.
The combination of his design skills and ability to produce certain works in larger quantities (using moulding and casting techniques) coupled with his understanding of customer deadlines and design parameters, should lead to some exciting partnerships.
The gallery displayed here shows a small selection of the broad range of Andrew’s work.
The large relief panel depicting a jungle chase scene measures nearly five feet long and two feet high. It is hand carved in Lime and Afrormosia and is currently for sale. The decorative axe and shield sets were inspired by an axe made by the renowned sculptor Ian Norbury. Both of these sets are sold, but can be reproduced to commission. In fact any piece here can be commissioned to these or other designs to fit into the style of any chosen environment.
The bronze eagle is a one-off and is a ‘real’ hot cast bronze - too many bronzes today are the cheaper cold-cast resin substitutes.
If any work here is of interest or you have any general comments about the work featured here please jump in with a comment. Or visit Andrew Boyce’s site.