QEST Magazine Spring 2013

Issue 27 Spring 2013 THE MAGAZINE OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOLARSHIP TRUST SUPPORTING EXCELLENCE IN BRITISH CR AFT SMANSHIP

QEST IS THE CHARITABLE ARM OF THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION

In this issue

Recognising the Alumni

Events

Uniting Craftsmen

New Scholars

QEST

News

QEST gives £176,000 to British crafts

T

he Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust has delivered its promise of doubling the number of scholarships awarded to talented craftsmen and women during H.M. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. In the second round of awards given in 2012, twenty scholars were awarded £176,100 in crafts as diverse as letterpress printing, saddlery, basket making and ceramics as well as five conservators, including a clock and scientific instrument restorer.

Clock restoration underway by Tim Hughes

QEST was endowed by the Royal Warrant Holders Association to advance education in modern and traditional crafts and trades in the UK. Scholarships of up to £18,000 are open to men and women of all ages and are awarded twice a year. Since 1991, the Trust has awarded over £1.8 million to 273 craftsmen and women aged between 17 and 50+ to develop their skills through study, training and work experience.

Winning a QEST Scholarship will ensure that these talented craftspeople are able to embark upon the next stage of their education to help them in their career and for some, establish their own businesses. Some will attend college, others become apprentices or will learn from master craftsmen on a one-to-one basis. This summer, a good example of a scholar who has changed his career is Timothy Hughes. He was a painter and decorator who missed out on the opportunity to study scientific instruments when he left school aged 17. QEST has enabled him to study at West Dean College and thus take up an appointment with an established clockmaker. The age range has been more pronounced than ever, with QEST being one of the few funding organisations to award grants to mature applicants – last summer, six were in their forties with one being over the age of fifty.

Issue 27 Spring 2013

The Diamond Jubilee Fenland Black Oak Project QEST has funded Steven Cook as an apprentice to master craftsman Hamish Low, to complete a one-year uniquely British project. In collaboration with the Worshipful Company of Carpenters they will create a work of art in the form of a 44ft Bog Oak table. The 5,000 year old rare wood that has been raised to the surface is currently being dried in a 46ft kiln at the Building Crafts College.

The 44ft (13.4m) Fenland Black Oak was dug out of farmland in Norfolk in September 2012. Ten planks were cut from the tree, also known as bog oak and are currently gently drying in an especially built kiln, a process that will take over seven months.

“The drying process is the genuine jeopardy,” said Hamish Low, project director for the Diamond Jubilee Black Oak Project. “We’ve got to try and retain flat, straight boards, over 44ft. It is incredibly difficult and has taken me more than 20 years of trial and error to work out how to do it.”

It took a team of 20 people to lift each of the 10 bog oak planks weighing about 400–500kg (882–1,100lbs) into the kiln at Stratford, London.

They will be dried at 30°C (86°F) and shrink by about one third of their thickness.

“I don’t think anybody has ever worked in bog oak this long,” said Hamish Low. “They are quite fragile when they are this wet, very flexible and they don’t have a great deal of strength so we had to be very careful.

But when dry they are immensely strong.

“To retain flat, dry boards ready to plane over such an extraordinary length is very, very difficult, but the rewards will be breath-taking.”

Bog oak is generally found buried in farmland and is one of the rarest forms of timber in England. It is probably the most dense native hardwood which, unusually for wood, means it very nearly sinks.

As the oak had spent 5,000 years in the ground and surfaced during H.M. The Queen’s Jubilee year, the final item of furniture is being made to commemorate her Diamond Jubilee. www.thefenlandblackoakproject.org.uk www.stevecookfurniture.co.uk

The Bog Oak team working on site

QEST

News

Shem shocks the Parisian music world In 1998 Shem Mackey received £9,750 from QEST to study musical instrument making. Today, he is recognised as one of the leading makers of baroque instruments in the UK. He is unusual in that, as well as making the instruments, he carves the heads on the instrument himself, whereas most other makers will use one supplied by another carver (featured on the Magazine cover).

Shem has caused a furore in the musical world whilst bringing the true sound back to a 17th century instrument. He was researching for an MA on the construction of the viola da gamba with the added objective of making a copy of the 1683 Colichon viol using some appropriate pieces of mahogany. When faced with the iconic instrument in the conservation laboratory at the Musée de la Musique in Paris it was immediately apparent to him that the wood was not a broadleaved mahogany, despite it being copied by generations of luthiers. He was determined to identify the wood and returned to England with a large number of photographs showing the grain in microscopic detail.

He eventually established that it was not broad-leaved mahogany Swietenia macrophylla but another Central American timber, Cedrela odorata¸ a sweet scented wood still used for cigar humidors.

When his findings were published it caused quite a stir as this is the earliest extant and possibly original seven-string viola da gamba; both instrument and its maker, Michel Colichon, are considered crucial in the development of French baroque music. For centuries this instrument has been studied and copied and yet the wood was never challenged until Shem’s analysis. He returned to Paris and presented his

findings to the head curators, under a spotlight in a closed and darkened gallery. Some months later his identification has been accepted by the two vital institutions in Paris: the Musée de la Musique (French National Music Museum) and the Muséum d’Histoire Naturelle (French National Museum of Natural History).

Shem’s new instrument, copied from the original down to the final cherub with a mop of curls, does sound different from the mahogany versions. “It has a darkness to the sound more common to very old instruments, coupled with very good projection,” explained Shem.

“It has become my most popular commissioned instrument.

“Hearing it being played in the Old Naval College in Greenwich was an amazing experience. I had given it to the player two weeks before and so had not heard it played. Here was an unheard sound; the original sound intended by the maker … it was a very, very special moment.

“I have had a number of interns over the years, probably around a dozen, including QEST scholar Joseph Lotito,” said Shem, “I find that I learn just as much as the intern and it is fun to have them.

“I have a belief that being in the same workshop with someone who has experience is important; sometimes it is those chats over coffee that can be just as valuable as seeing the theoretical skills being put into practice. It is about lifestyle and seeing how someone is operating in the world they want to occupy and dealing with day-to-day life. It gives them confidence.”

Shem Mackey in his studio workshop

Issue 27 Spring 2013

QEST Scholars benefit from the QEST alumni

Sarah Goodwin passing on her skills to Sarah Massey at Dege & Skinner

Apprenticeships are essential in maintaining traditional crafts. Royal Warrant holding companies have sponsored scholars and benefitted from their new skills with both scholars and warrant holders gaining from the synergy. The QEST alumni are now in a position to help more recent scholars with internships and training programmes.

Perfect Stitching Sarah Goodwin first joined Royal Warrant holder Dege & Skinner as a 16 year old YTS student in 1982 and trained to become a military bespoke coat maker. Her handcraft tailoring skills were soon recognised and she was one of the six D&S apprentices that won the Merchant Taylors’ Company’s Golden Shears Award in 1987; then presented to the firm with the best training record. Encouraged by the company’s chairman Michael Skinner (a founding Trustee of QEST), Sarah applied for a scholarship to attend the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace in 1993, to study the complementary skill of gold and silver wire embroidery. She thus became one of the very few tailors who can make a Guards Tunic from start to finish, including the embroidery.

She has worked at No 10 Savile Row for the past 30 years, including working from home when she had young children. “Her work is much sought after,” said Michael Skinner, “she has an exemplary work ethic, is highly skilled and a joy to work with”.

“My QEST scholarship made an enormous difference to my apprenticeship,” explained Sarah, “I studied alongside other apprentices, attending my specialist classes whilst the others were more concerned with conservation.” Her local church in Kent is benefitting from Sarah’s

Rod Kelly working in his studio workshop

passion for the craft, as she is in the midst of making and embroidering a lectern cover copying the original that sadly fell apart due to age and neglect. D&S has four apprentices working in its Savile Row workshop learning different aspects of the profession: cutting, trimming, tailoring and embroidery. Sarah is currently passing on the skills that she learnt at RSN to a young tailor, Sarah Massey. She is teaching her the intricacies of gold embroidery and gold lacing. The traditional British skills practiced in Savile Row are recognised internationally with D&S’s clients calling on their services from the four corners of the globe. www.dege-skinner.co.uk Silversmiths inspired by the Shetlands To celebrate thirty years working as a silversmith, QEST scholar Rod Kelly has built a workshop on the Shetland Islands as a training centre to enable him to give practical experience to young silversmiths. A group from the Bishopsland Educational Trust has already signed up for the spring. Rod is a visiting lecturer at Bishopsland and gives an annual masterclass to post-graduates who come to be immersed in the training workshops and learn crucial technical skills.

“I very much hope that in the future QEST scholars will come and stay and learn the practical skills that come through the experience of making,” explained Rod. “Today the emphasis in colleges has tended to be more theoretical and design led, but the value in each item made is in the skill of the craftsman.” www.rodkellysilver.co.uk

QEST

News

Marking a very special time

Royal Warrant holding company, Zone Creations, renowned for its award winning acrylic furniture has created a magnificent architectural floor clock, incorporating the finest regulator movement manufactured by a British clockmaker since Victorian times.

Featuring a traditional Palladian-style cabinet crafted by Zone Creations, the limited edition Greenwich Regulator clock is manufactured from the highest quality crystal clear cast polymer to allow light to flood the case illuminating Comitti’s remarkable month going movement. This superb timekeeper is available in rhodium or gold plated finishes and regulated by a Graham dead beat escapement fitted with tungsten carbide pallets in the Vulliamey style.

A limited edition of 120 pieces worldwide has been made to celebrate H.M. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. QEST scholars will engrave the serial numbers and produce the certificates of authenticity.

The clock highlights the best of British craftmanship creating a contemporary and collectable item where its very core is centred on tradition. With every sale, a donation will be made to QEST to benefit future scholars. info@zone-creations.co.uk The Zone Creations Floor Clock featuring the Comitti Gold Plated movement

Pennies fund scholars

QEST is delighted to have been selected to benefit from Royal Warrant holder Gieves & Hawkes’ new fundraising initiative, an electronic charity box.

“I first heard of Pennies when I met Alison Hutchinson, their CEO, at a Breakfast. It is such an astonishingly simple idea – rounding up, or just adding a few pence to every card transaction. Just like in the “old days” when one used to pop the change from a round of drinks or whatever into the charity box. Gieves & Hawkes will be the first luxury retailer to introduce the system and we chose QEST and Walking with the Wounded as the two charities to support – the former because of our long-standing support for British craftsmanship and the second because of our equally long association with the military.” - Mark Henderson, Chairman of Gieves & Hawkes. www.pennies.org.uk

Recognising the Alumni 2013 will see the inauguration of the Fattorini QEST Award at the RWHA annual lunch in June. Kindly donated by Royal Warrant holder and goldsmith Thomas Fattorini, it will be a Medal of Excellence in British Craftsmanship for a QEST scholar who has made a significant contribution to their craft. The silver medal, hallmarked and engraved with the recipient’s name will be presented together with a cheque for £1,000 (£500 from Thomas Fattorini and £500 from QEST). It has been generously offered to QEST as an annual award for the next five years.

The Fattorini QEST Award medal

Issue 27 Spring 2013

QEST

News

Talking Heads So desperate was stonemason Richard Mossman to raise funds for his final year at college that he erected a self-portrait outside Bristol’s council offices advertising for commissions that would pay his way.

Fortunately his application to QEST was successful and enabled him to complete the post-graduate diploma in Historic Stone Carving at the City and Guilds London Art School.

With that same spirit, Richard wrote to HRH The Prince of Wales inviting him to sit for a portrait, as he wanted to carve a life size marble portrait bust. To Richard’s surprise Prince Charles agreed and in November 2011 Richard was invited to Highgrove for a sitting.

He took around sixty photographs as well as thirty to forty detailed calliper measurements.

As Prince Charles requested to be portrayed in the uniform of the Welsh Guards, Richard paid a visit to Clarence House where the full dress uniform of the Colonel-in-Chief was set up on a mannequin. It has taken Richard two months to model and produce the plaster cast from clay and a further four months carving the marble. The work is nearing completion.

“It was such a lovely experience, albeit surreal, taking tea with Prince Charles at Highgrove and then the endless measuring with callipers.

I had been advised that he was quite used to it and I realised that if I was to have an accurate portrait, I had to be absolutely precise,” explained Richard. www.mossmansculpture.co.uk

Richard Mossman with his marble portrait

Issue 27 Spring 2013

Uniting Craftsmen As the demand for original bespoke and handmade crafts continue, QEST scholars are showing their retail prowess by joining forces with like-minded organisations and taking advantage of their marketing skills to sell their work in new environments and attract new markets.

Deborah Carré; artisan wallpaper designer and maker Cameron Short; renowned potter Julian Stair and his apprentice potter Matthew Warner, to be a part of their showcase. Their first pop-up shop in London’s Mayfair was a great success.

Royal Warrant holding company Holland & Holland kindly included six QEST scholars at their annual display of crafts in November and their work will be showcased until later this month at the flagship store in Bruton Street. Zoe Harding incorporated pheasant feathers within her signature silver cuffs and showed a range of her jewellery. Mia Sabel had especially made a range of dog collars, leather Christmas ornaments and a variety of leather bound stationery items that reflected Holland & Holland’s rural heritage. Bob Johnston had woven a stunning stag’s head in several shades of willow that proved to be a show-stopper, whilst Suzy Merrifield’s colourful range of knitted scarves reflected the autumn hues.

Calligrapher Davina Chapman exhibited some of her witty verse with hunting and fishing themes. Mary French demonstrated the art of book binding and was regaled throughout the evening by guests who had libraries with many broken spines desperately in need of her attention.

The New Craftsmen has invited scholars, such as established shoemaker

Ceramist Bethan Lloyd Worthington’s studio Manifold (founded by nine RCA 2010 graduates) had their first major group project last autumn.

They were invited by National Trust London to make new work in response to the homes of two influential figures, William Morris’ Red House and Erno Goldfinger’s 2 Willow Road. The resulting exhibitions were entitled This Is How To Live.

Saddle maker Mia Sabel was commissioned by Martin Adams on behalf of the Friends of The William Morris Gallery to create a faithful replica of William Morris’ original leather and canvas satchel to be sold as a limited edition run.

QEST scholar Mary French

Daniel Maier, fine furniture maker and master engraver, has endorsed Made by Hands of Britain, an on-line portal that encourages sales of traditional crafts.

QEST scholar Suzy Merrifield

Events 2013 Marketing Seminar — 2nd May 2013, 2pm–5pm, A series of four 20 minute talks from marketing experts, followed by a panel of six for a Q&A. The audience of 250 will consist of scholars, warrant holders, colleges and QEST supporters. The Worshipful Company of Carpenters has kindly donated their Hall for this event.

The Coronation Fair at Buckingham Palace — 11th to 14th July 2013 This will be a unique opportunity for QEST to showcase a number of high profile projects that demonstrate its vital importance and that of traditional craft to Britain.

Design Week Debate — Following the success of last year’s debate, QEST is preparing to return to the V&A in September 2013. Called ‘The Value of Craft,’ the debate will explore the aesthetic, historic and monetary values of craft today.

Contact valerie.kohler@qest.org.uk for more information on events

QEST

News

Bringing sparkle to the Titanic Ben Murphy cleaned and regilded the Titanic Memorial in Liverpool.

The 14.6m high memorial sited near the iconic Royal Liver Building was unveiled in 1916 and, following its £8,500 facelift by Ben’s company Monumental Conservation & Restoration, was rededicated in 2012 to mark the centenary of the Titanic disaster.

Created by the renowned sculptor Sir William Goscombe John it is officially the “Memorial to the Engine Room Heroes”. It was paid for partly by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science & Technology, the membership of which encompassed the 244 engine room crew who died when the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank. By the time the memorial had been built, RMS Lusitania and other ships had also been sunk in the first years of WWI, so although it has always been known locally as the Titanic Memorial there was nothing on it to indicate it commemorated the engine room casualties of that particular tragedy.

Now, as well as being cleaned and regilded (with shrapnel damage from WWII having been left unrepaired as part of the memorial’s provenance) a presentation board has been mounted associating the memorial with the Titanic.

“My grandfather was a mariner mine sweeper during WWII,” explained Ben, “so whilst working I had those connotations upper most in my mind”. www.monumentalconservation.co.uk The Titanic Memorial restored by QEST scholar Ben Murphy

Contemporary borne from traditional

QEST presented a debate at the Victoria and Albert Museum in September. Six eminent speakers discussed the preservation of heritage, skill and the adaptation of those skills to survive in the 21st century.

A transcript is available for download at: www.qest.org.uk That adaptation is best illustrated by two stained glass artists using their core techniques to achieve very different results.

Mel Howse, one of the speakers at the V&A and whose work is installed in many churches as well as retail outlets has designed and made a cocktail cabinet using the intrinsic qualities of stained glass. By working with the material in a different way, Mel is using her skills to create artworks that are both beautiful and functional. www.melhowse.co.uk Sophie D’Souza’s recent commission, measuring 5m x 3m, has been installed in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of St Anthony of Padua RC Church, Edgware. She has already commenced on a new work for six 7ft windows in a Ruislip church. www.sophiedsouzastainedglass.co.uk

Issue 27 Spring 2013

The QEST Debate at the V&A Museum

Sophie D’Souza’s traditional ecclesiastical panel

Mel Howse with her contemporary glass cabinet

QEST

Information

LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN In February when our hearts and minds turn to thoughts of love I wonder how many Valentine’s cards QEST will receive?

projects. It will be a roller coaster ride but fun at the same time, please join us! Oh, don’t forget to send your cards out!

Undoubtedly many more this year than ever before as the number of scholarships granted has grown and our reputation has shot through the roof.

Best wishes, Nick Farrow

Since becoming Chairman a few months ago, I’m amazed at the continuous positive feedback I receive about QEST. This seems like a daft thing to say about a charity, but I’m genuinely surprised at the warmth of feeling I receive when discussing the charity and its purpose within the Arts and Crafts Industry, fellow Royal Warrant holders and supporters. This is great for everyone and it is thanks to all of you!

During 2013 we will be able to award 40 scholarships, therefore supporting many more craftspeople via education, exhibitions and

QEST CRAFT AWARDS

D

o you know someone who could benefit from a QEST Award?

Scholarships of up to £18,000 are awarded twice a year to craftsmen and women with exceptional talent to enable them to advance their education and skills in modern and traditional crafts in the UK. The scholarships are open to all ages and even for those embarking upon a second career. The trustees look for well thought out projects that highlight applicants’ passion and commitment to their craft. Since 1991, the Trust has awarded £1.8 million to 273 artisans, confident that they will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.

The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 with money contributed by its members, to mark the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Association.

To find out more and apply on line, visit the QEST website at www.qest.org.uk

Who’s who at Qest Chairman and Trustee Nick Farrow Farrows Ltd Trustees Jenifer Emery Edward Goodyear Ltd Mark Henderson Gieves and Hawkes Ltd Sally Mangum Calligrapher Fiona Rae Goldsmith and Enameller Neil Stevenson NEJ Stevenson

Trustee & Honorary Treasurer Alec McQuin Rokill Ltd Trustee & Development Director Penny Bendall Bendall Ceramic Conservation Ex Officio Trustee Hew Blair Justerini & Brooks Secretary Richard Peck

Designed and Printed by www.farrows.co.uk

Manager Victoria Churchward RWHA & QEST Administrator Touran Reddaway Development Assistants Valerie Kohler Julia Robinson Finance Controller Elena Davies

Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust 1 Buckingham Place London SW1E 6HR General enquiries Tel 020 7828 2268 Email info@qest.org.uk Registered Charity No. 802557

Media enquiries Shelley-Anne Claircourt Tel 020 7854 1827 Email info@pressoffice.co.uk www.qest.org.uk QEST Scholars join us at LinkedIn/QEST Follow us on twitter @QESTcraft

New Scholars Spring 2013 THE MAGAZINE OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH SCHOLARSHIP TRUST SUPPORTING EXCELLENCE IN BRITISH CR AFT SMANSHIP

QEST IS THE CHARITABLE ARM OF THE ROYAL WARRANT HOLDERS ASSOCIATION

In this issue

Introducing 20 New Scholars including a Printmaker, Bookbinder, Photographer, Saddler & Ceramist

QEST

New Scholars

LEWIS ROBINS-GRACE Conservator of Historic Objects and Buildings

JOEY RICHARDSON Wood Turner Joey’s hobby turned into a business in 2002 and since then she has taught, demonstrated and regularly exhibited, particularly in New York and Chicago. She is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Turners. The award will enable Joey to learn from one of America’s leading turners, Binh Pho, as well as glass artist Hugh McKay, the art of casting thinned turned pierced wooden forms in glass and thus enable her to combine cast glass within her wooden forms. www.joeyrichardson.com

SARAI VARDI Book Binder QEST will provide a scholarship to part fund the final year of Sarai’s Conservation MA at Camberwell College of Arts and thereby provide the first step to a successful career in book conservation and cultural collection care. Sarai is dedicated to preserving Britain’s rich cultural heritage through the conservation of books and archival material. She has undertaken work placements with the Welcome Trust and Archive Conservation Services, the Warburg Institute and UCL Special Collections and plans to participate in a project at the Norwich Cathedral Library. The scholarship will also go towards furthering Sarai’s study in the craft of bookbinding.

Lewis will use her QEST scholarship to fund the final year of a three year Post Graduate Diploma in 3D Conservation at City and Guilds of London Art School. During this year, she will complete a scientific research project and practical conservation on three objects and will carry out work experience at the Museum of London and return to Westminster Abbey. This will be the fourth time that Lewis has worked in the Abbey and it will be an opportunity to gain some experience in Integrated Pest Management and preventive conservation. Lewis is also drawn to the art experimentations with relatively unknown materials such as Perspex and epoxies which started in the 20th century. The behaviour of modern plastics in sculptures is still undergoing much research and definitive conclusions are yet to be drawn around many materials that artists use today. Understanding the behaviour of materials is crucial to effective care of collections and the QEST award will help Lewis to broaden her knowledge and experience of preventive conservation.

Issue 27 Spring 2013

SOPHIE ZAJICEK Weave Designer and Maker

MARY WING TO Designer Harness Maker Mary is a fashion designer who has gone on to become a fully qualified harness maker. Having gained an MA in Fashion Design & Technology with Distinction, Mary found her passion in leather. As an apprentice at the Royal Mews she gained the City & Guilds qualifications as Saddler/Harness maker. Mary is dedicated to preserving Saddlery craftsmanship; she sculpts, carves, moulds, dyes and hand-stitches it to create outstanding designs and couture, winning many accolades for her workmanship. Mary freelances within the elite fashion and equine industries. She will use her QEST award to gain further knowledge and skills in corsetry and bag making and in traditional whip making; a skill rarely found today that needs preserving within the UK. www.marywingto.com

Sophie has been a freelance weave designer and maker since graduating from University College Falmouth in 2010. She recently travelled to Peru to learn traditional back-strap weaving and natural dyeing techniques to give her a firm understanding of colour and yarn construction and now excels at luxury and unusual yarns with interesting weave structures and finishing processes to produce tactile fabrics that can also be appreciated as works of art. This aspect of her work will be enhanced by attending the Royal College of Art’s MA. www.sophiezajicek.blogspot.co.uk

MATTHEW WARNER Potter and Ceramicist Matthew has recently completed his BA (Hons.) in Ceramics at Camberwell College of Art. The QEST scholarship will fund a 2-year apprenticeship in the south London studio of the internationally renowned British potter Dr. Julian Stair, himself a previous QEST scholar. Matthew believes that this experience will be crucial in expanding his expertise in ceramics, particularly in making table and cookware as well as giving him the necessary experience to set up his own studio. www.matthewwarner.co.uk

QEST

New Scholars

ANNA LORENZ Silversmith and Jeweller

RUTH HEENAN Cordwainer

Anna commenced her career as a full time telecom engineer in Germany before she became an apprenticed jeweller. Since her graduation in 2003 from Birmingham Institute of Art & Design’s School of Jewellery with a 1st Class Honours degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, she has continued to explore and extend traditional techniques to create contemporary metal work. Anna has produced a substantial body of work and her pieces have been purchased by the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London and the Grassi Museum of Applied Arts and Craft in Leipzig, Germany. Attention to detail, subtlety of form and composition are key aspects in her work. She uses mainly silver but balances it with copper, glass and slate to achieve contrast and harmony. This award will enable Anna to attend the MA Fine Art at the School of Fine Art, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design. www.annalorenz.com

Since graduating in 2009, Ruth has been working as a product developer. She oversees the range of footwear by sourcing the leather and visiting factories to check on the designs, fabrications and patterns as well as creating the catalogues and other sales tools to promote the range of merchandise.

Winning the QEST award will enable Ruth to attend the MA Fashion Footwear Course at the London College of Fashion where she will use both traditional and modern methods of shoe making from hand welting to rapid prototyping.

TIMOTHY HUGHES Clock Conservator and Restorer Tim has returned to the passion he was unable to pursue as a school leaver 30 years ago - the conservation and restoration of clocks and scientific instruments. Having re-mortgaged his family home to fund his initial tuition for this career change, he turned to QEST to support his final year Professional Development Diploma at West Dean College. As part of that diploma Tim will be undertaking an internship with the Horological Collections of The British Museum and studying methods and techniques of restoration, conservation and new making for application to clocks and scientific instruments.

Alongside his studies, Tim works with watchmaker Geoff Allnutt, of JE Allnutt & Son in Midhurst, who also supports Tim with tools, books and workshop facilities. An expansion of their business will see Tim join their specialist team of clock and watch restorers on completion of his diploma.

Issue 27 Spring 2013

ROSANNA MARTIN Ceramicist Rosanna has her own practice specialising in making hand thrown porcelain with sgraffito and inlay decoration techniques. When she started her MA she began exploring new making methods using bone china. She found by utilising the firing process, including additions of layers of paper and other substrates to make the bone china move, it created its own form whilst in the kiln. QEST will enable her to complete the second year of her MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art.

TIFFANY PARKINSON Saddler

NATASHA MANN Zouaq Artist Whilst studying for a degree in Arabic and French at Cambridge University, Natasha spent a year in Fes apprenticed to a master zouaq craftsman learning the traditional techniques of painting on wood, known as zouaq. This traditional Moroccan art form is based on Islamic geometry and the swirling shapes of the plant world.

Her teaching ranged from the study of technical skills such as making her own paint brushes from donkey hair to designing and creating final painted compositions. Since returning to England she has undertaken commissions creating zouaq paintings and painting doors, furniture and sculptures. Her work has been publicly exhibited at the Elephant Parade, 2010, Jungle City 2011 and the Fabergé Big Egg Hunt in 2012. QEST will fund Natasha to attend the two year MA at The Prince’s School of Traditional Arts, where she will study geometry, a fundamental part of zouaq art. www.natashazouaq.co.uk

A qualified saddler, Tiffany works alongside her employer making new leatherwork and repairing old and worn out items. The QEST scholarship will fund a series of courses at the The Saddlery Training Centre in Salisbury to teach Tiffany to restore and refurbish old English sidesaddles and to make the sidesaddle from scratch. The courses are taught by Richard Godden, who is now semi-retired and therefore important for him to share his knowledge of a rare British craft.

EMMA NICHOLS Book Binder / Conservator QEST will support Emma in her final year in the MA in Conservation at Camberwell College of Arts. It will enable her to make a contribution to the conservation of Britain’s artistic and written heritage which she is so passionate about and, to fulfil her dream of becoming a professional conservator.

Emma has undertaken an array of voluntary internships including Staffordshire Archive Service, the Victoria and Albert Museum, University College London, a private archive and paper conservation studio in Derbyshire and has recently completed a placement in Edinburgh at the National Records of Scotland. These placements, combined with her course, give Emma the practical experience and intricate knowledge so essential for her chosen profession.

QEST

New Scholars

NIGEL BENNET Photographic Artist and Printmaker

ANNELIESE APPLEBY Printmaker Anneliese was a teacher of fine art printmaking at Malvern College for ten years before she developed her portfolio of relief prints currently shown in galleries throughout the UK. It was a magazine feature on Tilley Printing and its proprietor that prompted her to visit the press, that was founded in 1875.

Spurred on by the fact that Martin Clark is its only remaining printer, Anneliese has embarked upon an apprenticeship in Letterpress Printing that will be funded by her scholarship. www.annelieseappleby.co.uk

Already an accomplished photographer, Nigel has been awarded a scholarship to study traditional craft based photography techniques that have been usurped by the digital age. His QEST award will enable him to study on the Master Internacional de Fotografia Conceptual, a one year MA degree in conceptual and art photography. The course will bring him nearer to his goal of teaching, both at university and community level, with specific emphasis on preserving traditional analogue techniques and creating new, alternative ones by combining these methods with digital technology. www.nigelbennet.com

STEVEN COOK Fine Furniture Maker and Antique Restorer Steven worked for twelve years with Guinevere Antiques in London’s Kings Road restoring antique furniture prior to returning to full-time education and gaining a Diploma in Fine Furniture at the Building Crafts College. He is now a Maker in Residence at the College. QEST is helping fund him in a very unusual and prestigious seven month project. It is to create a 44ft long table from Britain’s rarest native timber, bog oak. Steven’s role will be as an apprentice to master craftsman Hamish Low where he will learn the complexities of drying and working with this very precious resource. Having been unearthed and milled on site, the timber will be moved to a purpose built 50ft kiln at the Building Crafts College where Steve will monitor its drying. In collaboration with the students, he will make the table’s top and under-structure to the exacting standards of Adamson and Low Cabinetmakers.

The finished piece will go on permanent public display. www.stevecookfurniture.co.uk

Issue 27 Spring 2013

JESSICA COLEMAN Mixed Media Textile Designer Jessica has been working as a surface designer and maker for bespoke interiors company Rima and McRae. The QEST scholarship will provide vital funds to study for an MA at the Royal College of Art where she intends to develop her textile design skills in the College’s uniquely multi-disciplined environment. By marrying the traditional skills gained whilst working as a freelance maker with her own artistic approach to design, that evolved whilst she studied at Byam Shaw School of Art, Jessica hopes to produce a range of textiles and products that can be incorporated within fashion, interiors and architectural environments.

JAMIE CORETH Portrait Painter and Realist Artist Since graduating from Oxford with a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology, Jamie has worked primarily as a portrait painter with a brief assignment as a war artist; completing two commissions for the Royal Chaplain Corps. By attending The London Atelier of Representational Art (LARA), Jamie will continue to develop his technique, studying the sight-size atelier method used by many of the great master portrait painters from Velasquez to Sargent.

MARY FRENCH Book Binder

SUSAN EARLY BASKET MAKER Susan is an established basket maker producing functional baskets using willow and hedgerow materials as well as sculptural willow pieces. She currently teaches adult workshops and also teenagers within a school curriculum.

With her QEST scholarship she will travel to Villaines les Rochers to study with master craftsman David Drew, on a one-to-one basis, to learn more advanced techniques and have the opportunity to see how a commercial company operates and thrives. www.guildcrafts.org.uk

Mary spent three years working as a conservation assistant in the Book Conservation Facility of the Wellesley College Library in Massachusetts and gained extensive practical experience working predominantly on the college’s general circulating collection. She then completed internships and work placements in the conservation facilities of the Harvard Business School, the Boston Athenaeum and the Leather Conservation Centre. QEST will enable Mary to complete her formal education in the art of book binding and book conservation by undertaking an MA at West Dean College.

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