About Hedgerow Crafts

Hello, and welcome to Hedgerow crafts.

I am a chair maker and greenwood worker living and working in the heart of Ireland. My home looks out over ancient hedges and woodlands, which provide my workshop, the inspiration, and materials, for my craft.

I try to create functional, beautiful works that will embellish your life and make you smile. My philosophy is simple – Less is More. Therefore, I endeavour to let the natural beauty of the wood guide my work.

To create my work I use old hand tools, which have found their way to me over the years. These tools guide me in my work. Learning to use them has enhanced and developed my skill, and understanding of my craft.

As a ‘Greenwood worker’ I make many different items, but my main focus is on chairs.  The latter interest was initially sparked by the RTÉ ‘Hands’ episode about John Surlis and his magnificent ‘Leitrim Chair’. I was captivated by its elegance and utilitarian simplicity. So, when I got an opportunity, I started making traditional Greenwood chairs myself, learning to use wonderful old hand tools and developing my craft. The satisfaction of using these tools is amazing; they enable me to really get close to the wood, to understand and to work with it, rather than fighting and bending it to my will. Today, I am still learning to work to its strengths and accentuate its beauty.

Some years ago, I visited the Mackintosh House in Glasgow, and as I walked around, being careful not to touch anything, I became more and more enamoured of his chairs.  They were extraordinary, asking to be touched, and admired, from every possible angle. I wanted to try and replicate that feeling, that captivating grace, in Greenwood, using the wood in its natural state. I wanted to move away from the traditional Greenwood style chair and do something different with the medium, and that is what I am currently trying to do with my work. I usually make such chairs for my own satisfaction, so I don’t exhibit much. However, when I do, I am always delighted when someone asks, if they can touch the chairs, or sit in them. The moment I hear that, I know that I have achieved my goal.

Chairs need to be seen and touched to be fully appreciated.

I hope you see something here that you like, makes you smile, and inspires you.

Exhibitions

Purple Raven Art Gallery, Co. Westmeath
The Gallery, Listoke, Co. Louth
Cill Rialaig Arts Centre, Co. Kerry