IssueT40 H ESummer Q U E2019 EN
E L I Z A BET H S C HOL A R SH I P T RU ST M AG A Z I N E
Spectrum by 2019 QEST Scholar Sophie Southgate
Issue 40 Summer 2019
In this issue QEST Scholars & Apprentices 2019
John Smedley 235th Anniversary Partnership
QEST Celebration of British Craftsmanship at the V&A
London Craft Week
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Find out more at johnsmedley.com/discover/legacy
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Issue 40 Summer 2019
During London Craft Week in May, all over the city, QEST Alumni exhibited, demonstrated and talked about their crafts. At the QEST Open House at Pewterers’ Hall, QEST Ambassador Julian Calder gave a talk on the craft of portrait photography. Not surprisingly, his fine body of work is inspirational and our Nick Crean, QEST Chairman book, A Celebration of British Craftsmanship, sits bright within his catalogue raisonné. Julian posed a question – “Is my photography art?” - that I get asked often in relation to craft. More good news, we are supporting a further 24 Scholars and two Apprentices. What bowled us over was the sheer range of applications and balance between tradition and innovation: ceramicists working in a blaze of colour, a children’s illustrator whose work is full of charm yet with edginess, an artist pushing boundaries by embroidering her photography, stone carvers, luthiers, weavers working in willow, textiles and tapestry, and a paper folder who will be learning the craft of fan making. In April, our CEO Deborah Pocock and I were invited to Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Central to
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Photograph: Sequoia Ziff
WELCOME TO THE SUMMER 2019 EDITION
Patron His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales Vice Patrons The Earl of Snowdon The Marquess of Salisbury Chairman Nick Crean Honorary Treasurer Alec McQuin
Registered Charity No.1152032
QESTcraft queenelizabethscholarshiptrust qestcraft justgiving.com/qest
Trustees Deborah Carré Mark Henderson Matthew Ingle Prof Steve Macleod Dr Nicholas Morgan Peter Ting Ambassadors Caroline Armstrong-Jones Karen Bennett Julian Calder Julie Deane, OBE
the celebration of a new walled garden was the pavilion designed and built by the seven students that we, along with The Prince’s Foundation, have supported on a year-long Traditional Buildings Skills Programme. It is a wonderful example of teamwork; there can be few courses where earth builders are teamed with thatchers, carpenters, masons and pargeters. QEST Trustee, Professor Steve Macleod visited the team at their base at Dumfries House to talk about the business aspects of sustaining a craft. It cannot be said enough that the key to craft's survival is relevance and commercial viability. I wrote last time that many of you have sent me stories of how craft has played a role in shaping other industries. Here is one more from QEST wood turner Joey Richardson. In the 14th Century, Edward III decreed that ‘wooden measures, as well for wine as for ale’ should be made only by ‘turnours’ with marks of their own - they established the English ‘pint’ as an official measure. Can you beat that? We are approaching our 30th year with more than 500 alumni around the UK, but there is always more we can do. I am especially keen to see our regional and ethnic diversity grow. As we strive to continue supporting those who demonstrate creative excellence with forward-looking zest, we can all agree with Julian’s answer: “The best of craft is art”.
Nick Crean QEST Chairman
Nick Farrow Dr Jonathan Foyle Scott Simpson Mark Van Oss
Royal Warrant Holders Association President Tony Wheeler CEO & Secretary Richard Peck
QEST Magazine Editor Karen Bennett Researcher Chantal Bristow keysmith.co.uk Design & Print Farrows farrows.co.uk
QEST Office
Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust
CEO Deborah Pocock, LVO
London SW1E 6HR
Communications Manager Katherine Boyle Applications & Grants Officer Heather Noble
1 Buckingham Place 020 7798 1535 info@qest.org.uk qest.org.uk
Fundraising Officer Amanda Ashton Events & Operations Officer Louise Rains
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QEST
Scholars & Apprentices 2019
QEST Scholars & Apprentices A record number of new QEST Scholars and Apprentices (50 granted in the last year) received certificates from QEST Chairman Nick Crean and RWHA President Tony Wheeler at the RWHA & QEST Annual Luncheon in June. On stage, guest speaker Dr Jonathan Foyle - architectural historian, advocate for heritage sites, and QEST Ambassador - presented the QEST Award for Excellence to goldsmith and silversmith Rod Kelly. Sponsored by Fattorini, this was given in recognition of Rod’s commitment to British craftsmanship, both through the exceptional quality of his work and dedication to teaching others (including seven QEST alumni) at the South House Silver Workshop he established 15 years ago in the Shetland Islands with his wife, enameller and jeweller Sheila McDonald. The post-luncheon Pimm’s reception gave Royal Warrant holders and their guests the chance to view work by the latest members of the QEST family. Conversations flowed over Sussex trugs to Scottish kilts, bespoke shoes to stitched straw hats, glass art to stone carving, theatre design to wall painting conservation. Thanks to the generosity and support of its donors, QEST is delighted to introduce the 24 Scholars and two Apprentices granted in Spring 2019.
Dr Jonathan Foyle, Rod Kelly, QEST CEO Deborah Pocock and Chairman Nick Crean
Fiona Curran QEST HOWDENS SCHOLAR TAPESTRY WEAVING
Over the past 17 years, Fiona Curran has combined painting, sculpture and textiles to explore the histories of landscapes. Her work features in permanent collections, including Manchester Art Gallery, public art commissions in UK heritage environments, and international exhibitions. Fiona completed a PhD at the Slade School of Fine Art in 2016. Equally committed to the making process, she will use the QEST funding for a Graduate Diploma in Tapestry Weaving at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation. Combining these traditional skills with innovative techniques, Fiona hopes to contribute to the resurgence of tapestry as a fine art medium. “I subscribe to the notion of ‘thinking through making’ and my teaching in Mixed Media Textiles at the Royal College of Art is rooted in my studio practice. Acquiring in-depth knowledge and skills in tapestry will enable me to develop new artistic work and research on philosophies of making.”
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fionacurran.co.uk fiona_curran_
Issue 40 Summer 2019
Scholars Chloe Monks
QEST COMPANY OF ARTS SCHOLARS SCHOLAR CERAMICS & GLASS
Cardiff School of Art & Design graduate Chloe Monks has learned by working in the studios of ceramicists including QEST alumnus Julian Stair, Kate Malone, Sue Binns and is currently assistant to Lauren Wilson at the London Sculpture Workshop.
Bryony Applegate QEST GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION SCHOLAR CERAMIC SLIPCASTING
After graduating from Staffordshire University with a BA in 3D Design, Bryony Applegate set up a ceramics studio at the historic Spode factory in Stoke while working full-time as a school photographer. Two years on, she enrolled on the Masters in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art to further her practice. Bryony spent the first year experimenting with materials and techniques, during which she developed an interest in high-end restaurant tableware. Slip casting became central to her work and she creates different forms on the plaster lathe, from turning thin, wide plates to circular forms with interlocking elements. QEST will fund Bryony’s second year fees as she develops her ideas.
“I am fascinated by phenomenology - the study of experience and consciousness - and focus on this to reflect upon my experiences in making. Within my future studio, I hope to establish material innovations with other makers, share my knowledge in academic and industrial contexts and, given the tactile nature of my work, engage people through workshops and exhibitions.”
chloemonks.cargo.site chlo_monks
Photograph: Jon Applegate Photography
Copper Fusion by Chloe Monks
Chloe is furthering her own practice as a Ceramics & Glass Masters student at the Royal College of Art, which encourages new perceptions and mastery of skills. It also provides access to other disciplines and Chloe is exploring ceramics in combination with other materials such as metal through electroplating. The QEST Company of Arts Scholars Scholarship is enabling Chloe to engage fully in her final year.
“QEST has given me the most amazing opportunity and my dissertation - Michelinstarred restaurant tableware - will be invaluable as I work to establish myself as a designer maker in the hospitality industry.”
bryonyapplegate.com bryonyapplegate
Porcelain and Paper Vessels by Bryony Applegate
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Scholars & Apprentices 2019
Photographs: Deborah Husk
QEST
Lisi Ashbridge
Cherry Chung
QEST DAVID BLACKBURN SCHOLAR
QEST EDITH MURPHY FOUNDATION SCHOLAR
LETTER CARVING
WILLOW WEAVING
Lisi Ashbridge’s interest in letter carving began during her doctoral research into the neuropsychology of visual shape recognition at the University of St Andrews. She attended several courses, but is mostly self-taught using hand tools to create expressive lettering in stone.
Living in Manchester, Cherry Chung undertakes private and public sector commissions and delivers workshops in traditional and contemporary willow basket making and sculpture across North West England.
The QEST David Blackburn Scholarship will provide Lisi with one-to-one tuition with Caroline Webb, one of the country’s leading letter carvers, who will share her knowledge of letterform, design layout and carving in wood over the course of a year. In turn, Lisi is committed to creating awareness of the craft as an associate member of Letter Exchange and chairing Open Studios in Marlborough. “Increasing my typographical awareness will have a profound impact on the stone plaques, memorials and sculptures I undertake by commission and as speculative work. I also intend to expand my practice into wood, as there are only a handful of carvers producing exquisite lettering in this medium.”
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itswritteninstone.co.uk its_written_in_stone LisiAshbridge
In 2017, Cherry attended a course with master Ane Lyngsgaard at Pileriet, her training centre for basketry, weaving and design in Denmark. She found Ane, her repertoire of styles and the environment to be inspirational and applied for a QEST Scholarship to return. Over a series of visits, Cherry will learn techniques for weaving baskets using willow, bark and reeds and explore organic forms with willow as a sculptural medium that will enhance her commercial range and teaching. “These will all come together in ‘Remarkable Hands 3’, three three-day courses designed to explore individual creativity and work practices, allowing the application of technique and shape creation to inform each other.”
cherrychung.com cherry.chung.willowartist
Photograph: Francisque Sanchez
Issue 40 Summer 2019
Matthew Cayton Sophie Southgate Jack Relton QEST BRODERERS’ COMPANY SCHOLAR
QEST SCHOLAR
QEST CARPENTERS’ COMPANY SCHOLAR
HAND EMBROIDERY
CERAMICS & GLASS
FURNITURE MAKING
Following an early career as a primary school teacher, Matthew Cayton discovered a passion for all forms of English hand embroidery and dedicated his time to learning Jacobean crewelwork, silk shading, appliqué and more.
A first-class BA in Ceramics from Cardiff Metropolitan University in 2014 led to Sophie Southgate becoming one of six artists to win the Future Lights European competition for ceramicists early in their careers. The prize was to exhibit at Ambiente in Frankfurt and a two-week design project at Villeroy & Boch.
One sunny weekend, Jack Relton took the pallets that were piling up outside his online retail business and built his first piece of furniture - an armchair. He loved it: the excitement of the idea, the sketching and calculations, physical exertion and smell of sawdust, and the feeling of creating something new and useful.
Matthew now holds a Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery from the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) and has been accepted onto its Future Tutors programme. The QEST Broderers’ Company Scholarship is contributing to the fees for this professional qualification that will equip Matthew with the skills and knowledge to work on important historic examples of hand embroidery and teach to RSN Degree level.
Sophie is already establishing a reputation as a sculptural ceramicist for her use of colour, texture and negative space to create optical illusions that explore human-object interaction. She will continue to experiment with traditional techniques and modern technologies during an MA in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art supported by QEST.
“The practical experience on newly commissioned pieces and learning to repair and conserve in the studio will be complemented by academic study on the origins and changes in different types of embroidery, and teaching practice. With my background in education, training to secure the future of this wonderful craft feels like a natural progression.”
“There is a simple joy and healing power to working with clay. By bettering my practice technically and intellectually, I hope to produce socially engaging work that is poignant, meticulously made, and shows ecological awareness. I will also share my expertise through teaching at my studios in Kent.”
ftpstumatthewcayton@gmail.com
sophiesouthgate.com sophiesouthgate
Six years on, Jack is a full-time designer-maker of contemporary, bespoke furniture with a studio in north London. Most of the techniques he employs are self-taught. Jack’s QEST Carpenters’ Company Scholarship for a 12-week course at Williams & Cleal furniture school in Somerset will expand his knowledge of materials, traditional construction methods and hand skills. “This technical training will enable me to develop a furniture range with craft at its heart, using solid British hardwoods.”
jackrelton.com jack_relton_studio
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QEST
Scholars & Apprentices 2019
Steffan Lomax QEST KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION SCHOLAR STONE CARVING
Steffan Lomax spent three years travelling from South Wales to Bath College to gain a Level 3 Diploma in Stonemasonry. Since taking an extra-curricular course in relief and 3D stone carving during his studies, he has enjoyed the challenge of this specialism. Steffan progressed to an NVQ Level 3 in Heritage Skills before entering the workplace in 2015 as a banker mason. He is about to complete the Traditional Building Skills Programme run by The Prince’s Foundation and QEST, which focuses on technical skills and live builds at Hillsborough Castle, Dumfries House and Highgrove. QEST will continue supporting Steffan’s studies on the BA in Historic Carving: Architectural Stone at the City & Guilds of London Art College. “I feel very privileged to have the opportunity to follow a career that I am passionate about. I look forward to learning the art of stone carving from experts and further developing my skills to work on historic buildings.”
Maybe the Moon cover. Published by LOM ART, Michael O’Mara Ltd
stefflomax
Frances Ives QEST SCHOLAR CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
When Frances Ives won the LOM ART Prize set by publishing house Michael O’Mara, she was invited to show her portfolio to its editors. Her ‘inventive and original’ illustrations made an impression and her first children’s picture book, Maybe the Moon, was published in 2018.
Maybe the Moon. Published by LOM ART, Michael O’Mara Ltd
Frances draws from observation and memory and works primarily in water-based media. Determined that her craft should not be lost in a digital age, with the support of QEST she is following in the footsteps of acclaimed children’s artists on the MA in Children’s Book Illustration at Anglia Ruskin University Cambridge School of Art.
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“Maybe the Moon, about a boy searching for happiness in a new environment, is an example of how illustration can tackle complex issues in a gentle narrative for children and parents. I hope to show that this handmade approach remains a viable, in fact, rich option for illustrators and their clients.”
francesives.com francesives
Issue 40 Summer 2019
Dr Catherine Baker QEST SCHOLAR
Dr Catherine Baker, an Associate Professor at Birmingham City University, is an artist researcher whose work utilises interdisciplinary approaches that extend into medical and clinical sciences to respond to ideas that explore our relationship with illness and the disruption of the human body. Interested in the capabilities of contemporary photopolymer gravure printmaking, Catherine uses laser cutters to burn into the printed substrate in a highly controlled, diagrammatic way where hundredths of a millimetre count. The QEST Scholarship will provide vital development in image preparation and plate making for this technique at Lux Darkroom in London.
Photograph: Edward Turpie
FINE PRINTMAKING
“Perfecting the nuances in these complex processes will enable me to master the full potential of photopolymer gravure. I plan to use this working with horticulturists and archivists at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and young women with scoliosis for a series of studies on trees with unexplained, unusual growth patterns for an exhibition in 2020.”
catherinebaker.co.uk drcatherinebaker DrCB00
Joanna Manousis QEST SCHOLAR GLASS ART
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Art in Glass from The University of Wolverhampton and Masters from Alfred University, New York, Joanna Manousis has been advancing the practice of kiln cast glass. Joanna’s QEST Scholarship will support her tuition on a PhD in Glass Studio Practice in the UK. She will be focusing on 'core-cast' glass methods in tandem with painting and gilding applications to expand and revive traditional surfacing techniques for the modern-day maker. During her studies, Joanna will also conduct research at the Rakow Library at the Corning Museum of Glass in upstate New York. “I hope that my thesis and artworks exploring the potential of threedimensional cast glass as a site for ornamentation and reflection will serve as an inspirational technical guide for contemporary artists around the world.”
joannamanousis.com joharafifi
Photograph: Tom Brookes
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Scholars & Apprentices 2019
Photograph: Ruth Mitchell
Photograph: Alaisdair Smith Photography
Photograph: David Stjernholm
QEST
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Kate Colin
Emma Sheridan
QEST SCHOLAR
QEST R W ARMSTRONG SCHOLAR
PAPER FOLDING, FABRIC PLEATING & FAN MAKING
STONE CARVING
Kate Colin creates lighting and homewares by paper folding and fabric pleating and has taught and held demonstrations at the Barbican and V&A Dundee. Her practice is at a pivotal stage, but training opportunities in the UK are scarce.
During her apprenticeship at Chichester Stoneworks, Emma Sheridan developed her tool skills on a range of masonry for Grade I listed buildings such as Chichester Cathedral and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, and was awarded Silver in the stonemasonry competition at SkillBuild 2018.
A book by Paul Jackson inspired Kate to begin paper folding; her QEST Scholarship will begin with Jackson’s course at the Centro del Bel Libro Ascona in Switzerland. In Germany, Kristina Wißling will provide instruction in advanced folding techniques and introduce Kate to synthetic papers, metallics and plywood from the material library at her studio. An internship at Ciment Pleating in Hertfordshire will be a chance to experiment with folding, steaming and pleating fabric and making moulds.
Emma is embarking on a BA in Historic Carving: Architectural Stone at City & Guilds of London Art School. QEST will fund the first two years as she studies modelling, casting, letter cutting, gilding, relief carving and stone repair to reach the highest professional standards. Alongside restoration and conservation projects, Emma plans to create modern artworks using traditional techniques.
“I will also apply my folding skills to the endangered craft of fan making through research at The Fan Museum in London, practical study with expert Caroline Allington, and a visit to Maison Sylvain Le Guen in Paris where traditional fan making is combined with origami techniques and contemporary materials.”
“The UK is famed for its built heritage. To touch and feel the past with integrity, I believe I must engage in the activities that were undertaken historically. It will be a privilege to train with some of the best carvers in the country and become part of this ancient tradition.”
katecolindesign.com kate_colin_design
sheridan.works emmasheridan2000
Photograph: Hubert Aime Morh-Daurat
Photograph: Mohamed Hassan
Issue 40 Summer 2019
Laura Thomas QEST SCHOLAR CONSTRUCTED TEXTILES One of the first recipients of a Creative Wales Ambassador Award from the Arts Council of Wales, Laura Thomas has an MA from the Royal College of Art, two weave design research fellowships, and a flourishing studio practice making woven textiles for contemporary spaces. Laura currently sources commercially dyed yarns, but many of her ideas require greater control of colour. The QEST Scholarship will help to meet this skills gap through a year of masterclasses in dye and textile colouration processes with Catherine Lewis in her Cardiff workshop. These 24 sessions, specially designed for Laura as a handweaver, will take place fortnightly to give her time to weave fabrics for dyeing. “Mastering the interplay of colour with woven structure in a painterly fashion will open up a range of aesthetic possibilities for my work. I will also share this knowledge through my teaching at Carmarthen School of Art.”
laurathomas.co.uk laurathomastextiles
Natalia J Kasprzycka QEST RADCLIFFE TRUST SCHOLAR CERAMICS Natalia Kasprzycka graduated in 3D Design from the University of the Arts: Camberwell College of Arts in 2018. Central to her practice is a desire to strengthen the link between a potter and their natural surroundings by exploring local clays and ashes. QEST is supporting Natalia’s next step towards setting up a studio combining pottery with history and geology: a two-year, skills-based Diploma taught by working potters at Clay College Stoke, a new school in the heart of the Stoke-on-Trent potteries. The syllabus is designed to create technical specialists and businessconscious makers to protect and augment British studio ceramics. “For centuries artisans have extracted beauty from materials and thoroughly understood their surroundings; especially in ceramics, wares could be seen as extensions of the potter’s landscape. As globalised production brings endless materials of unknown origin, I try to reconnect this relationship in my work, displaying raw clays to finished item step-by-step to tell stories with a sense of place.”
Eunju Lee QEST ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION SCHOLAR LUTHIERY
A two-year vocational qualification in Musical Instrument Technology from South Thames College created the foundation for Eunju Lee’s passion and talent for making musical instruments. The QEST Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Scholarship will help Eunju to further her studies in historic stringed musical instruments, specialising in Baroque violin and viol construction and setting, at West Dean College of Arts & Conservation. Under the tutorship of 1998 QEST Scholar Shem Mackey, she will spend her final year learning to make aesthetically beautiful instruments with great quality of sound. “A musical instrument is an artefact with function. Whilst improving my bench skills, I have joined two orchestral groups to improve my playing, understand Baroque music more deeply and communicate constantly with musicians, all of which I can apply to my instrument making to continue the culture of this early musical period.”
nataliakasprzycka.com natajkasprzycka 11
QEST
Scholars & Apprentices 2019
Christopher Hanson QEST HOWDENS SCHOLAR PAINTING
Portrait and figurative artist Christopher Hanson, who trained at the London Academy of Representational Art (LARA), aims to capture not only the likeness, but the essence of his sitters. He held his first solo exhibition, Music & Spirituality, at 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning in 2018. Seeking to deepen his understanding and develop his technique to enhance the quality of his work, Christopher is heading to Italy on a QEST Scholarship to study at Charles H. Cecil Studios. This private atelier in Florence offers rigorous training in sight-size drawing and painting from life, working with a traditional palette, hand-grinding oil paints and making mediums. “My subjects to date are mostly family members. The skills that I will acquire during this month-long course will give me the ability and confidence to paint prominent figures who inspire me.”
clhanson.com hanson9281
George Parfitt QEST ANA SCHOLAR LUTHIERY
On leaving school in Pembrokeshire, George Parfitt established Dockyard Guitars, designing and making guitars from recycled materials. He achieved commercial success, but wanted to refine the quality and historic integrity of his work as a luthier. He has made considerable progress during the first year of an FdA in Historic Craft Practices – Musical Instruments at West Dean College of Arts & Conservation. QEST will fund his tuition for a second year, during which George will learn advanced skills such as decorative head carving (a feature of violas), bow making from a visiting expert, and build three instruments. “I feel extremely fortunate. This is the only course of its type in the UK, the tutor to student ratio is high, and I have access to my own workbench all day, every day. I will return to my business more culturally informed and able to produce traditional instruments to a high standard, incorporating my own innovations over time.”
dockyardguitars
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Issue 40 Summer 2019
Jessa Fairbrother QEST SCHOLAR EMBROIDERY
Jessa Fairbrother slowly and purposefully hand embroiders and embellishes hand-printed photographs taken in a fraction of a second to explore the subject of yearning. She is represented by The Photographers' Gallery in London and Anzenberger Gallery in Vienna. Whilst she has sewed since childhood, Jessa’s further education focused on English Literature, teaching and an MA in Photographic Studies. A QEST Scholarship is providing the opportunity to attend talks and research at the Royal School of Needlework (RSN) at Hampton Court Palace and study for a Certificate in Technical Hand Embroidery at the RSN satellite in Bristol, closer to her practice. “A stitch represents being tethered; when I use no stitch, it’s about being severed from the narrative - together this creates a surface that is no longer slippery for the eye. Applying traditional embroidery stitches will embed my contemporary images with historical craft, create new levels of meaning, and elevate the quality of my work.”
Photograph: Naomi Wood
jessafairbrother.com thephotographersgallery.org.uk jessfairbrother
Lydia Higginson QEST SCHOLAR PATTERN CUTTING
Pattern cutting is fundamental to Lydia Higginson’s role as a costume designer and maker, but with few theatres maintaining in-house costume departments, training as a freelance practitioner is hard to come by. Lydia will invest her QEST Scholarship in 100 hours of individual lessons over three months with Helen Shine, who has cut patterns for Victoria Beckham and Peter Pilotto and made clothes that have appeared on red carpets and catwalks. The expertise Lydia gains will strengthen her relationship with Sadler’s Wells and Tobacco Factory Theatres and help to expand her client base of theatre and dance companies. “Improving this aspect of my work will also underpin my commitment to improve sustainability. Costumes are often made on tight deadlines and construction can suffer; by making the best quality I can, they will be used time and again. I also plan to digitise my patterns so they can be accessed worldwide.”
mademywardrobe.com mademywardrobe
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Scholars & Apprentices 2019
Photograph: Francesca Farley
QEST
Jadd Friedman
Lucy Cushley
Gabe Robertson
QEST SCHOLAR
QEST SADDLERS’ COMPANY SCHOLAR
QEST SCHOLAR
HAND SEWN SHOEMAKING
HARNESS & COLLAR MAKING
PRODUCTION DESIGN FOR FILM
Self-taught shoemaker Jadd Friedman has built a successful business, Suffolk Shoes, specialising in stitchdown construction in which the leather uppers turn outwards and are stitched directly to the mid-sole. He designs and makes everything at his factory in the county and has a reputation for desert boots of outstanding quality.
Saddlery student Lucy Cushley has identified courses across the UK that will enable her to become a fully qualified harness maker and bring the critically endangered craft of collar making to County Down.
The National Film and Television School has developed some of the world’s top creative talent in film and moving image. Gabe Robertson is one of only eight students to be accepted each year onto the MA in Production Design.
QEST will enable Jadd to attend a 12-day, one-to-one course at the Carréducker Shoe & Leather School, cofounded by 1997 QEST Scholar and Trustee Deborah Carré and James Ducker, during which he will make a pair of hand sewn shoes. This will provide him with detailed understanding of welted shoe construction for manufacture and repair. “Being guided through the 200 plus steps in this shoe making process – lasting, welting, stitching on a sole, building heels and finishing, all by hand - will be invaluable for broadening my customer offering and the training I can provide to future employees.”
suffolkshoes.co.uk suffolkshoes.co.uk
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In preparation for her City & Guilds Level 3 Harness Making, Lucy will attend a Gig Saddle course on materials, tools and manufacture at The Saddlery Training Centre. Following this, she will learn to make a cob-size collar with the vastly experienced John McDonald then focus on heavy horse collars under the supervision. Finally, Frances Roche, Master Saddler at the Royal Mews, will spend time with Lucy on harness repair, making and fitting for different carriages and occasions. “The ability to make, size and fit a bespoke harness and collar will be of great benefit to the horses at driving clubs in Northern and Southern Ireland and my business. I am also looking forward to making notes on the extensive harness collection at the Royal Mews that I hope will inspire my own patterns.”
saddlerystudent.com saddlerystudent
QEST is contributing to his fees for this course taught by industry professionals on which working methods replicate professional practice. The design studio is fully equipped for the production of live shoots, computer techniques are taught alongside traditional skills such as set sketching, orthographic draughting and model making with carpenters, painters and sculptors. This will equip Gabe to use built sets and green screen to create real and imagined worlds. “Craft and design go hand in hand for production designers. I hope to use the skills I am honing now to create exciting work of great quality to become an art director in television and film within a decade.”
gaberobertson.com gabe_robertson
Issue 40 Summer 2019
APPRENTICES Daisy Tempest QEST GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION APPRENTICE LUTHIERY
Daisy Tempest is an aspiring luthier. After completing her Masters in English Literature at The University of Edinburgh, she wrote to 2014 QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar Tom Sands, who builds some of the most responsive custom acoustic guitars in the world. Daisy has been working with Tom at his studio in North Yorkshire for a year and is near to completing her first guitar. The QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Apprenticeship will enable Tom and Daisy to formalise her training in the intricacies of steel-string acoustic guitar making over the next two years, from wood selection and voicing to finished product. “This career unites my passions as an instrumentalist and a maker. Apprenticed to Tom, I am also gaining experience in design, photography and running a business. I am also finding drawing and selling cartoons on woodworking to be a creative way to get to know the craft further.”
Photographs: Ben Hymers
tomsandsguitars.com daisytempest.org daisy_tempest
Elaine Wilson QEST ALLCHURCHES TRUST APPRENTICE TAPESTRY
Dovecot Tapestry Studio in Edinburgh is a world-renowned producer of hand-woven tapestry and gun-tufted rugs, continuing a century-long heritage of making and collaboration with leading international contemporary artists, including David Hockney and Chris Ofili. With a BA in Painting from Edinburgh College of Art, MA in Culture & Creative Enterprise from Queen Margaret University and her own painting practice, Elaine Wilson has long been interested in applying her artistic knowledge to this craft. QEST and Allchurches Trust will support her three-year apprenticeship as a tapestry weaver and rug tufter, from the basics of weaving to interpreting artists’ designs into tapestry, with Master Weaver Naomi Robertson. “Tapestry has been largely lost as a specialist discipline in education, so this investment is immense, as is my commitment as I begin a long career as a Dovecot weaver. It is an exciting prospect to be maintaining the relevance and vitality of tapestry weaving.”
dovecotstudios.com dovecotstudios 15
QEST Bendicks Scholar 2017
Harry Forster-Stringer began goldsmithing as a 16-year-old apprentice in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. In 1994, he set up a workshop in Nottingham, specialising in fine jewellery and objects. harryforsterstringer.com forsterstringer
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When did enamelling capture your imagination? While teaching at Birmingham City School of Jewellery I watched a demonstration by Rachel Gogerly, former chairman of the Guild of Enamellers, that rekindled my love of the process. Rachel introduced me to secondgeneration enameller Phil Barnes: a consummate craftsman, he could produce exactly what was required from a drawing or replicate a piece to the minutest detail. I spent years putting money aside for training, but it remained beyond my reach. How did QEST help? Goldsmith and penmaker Jack Row spent four years at the bench as my apprentice. He told me about the charity when he returned on a QEST Scholarship in 2014 to refine his engraving and stone setting. I leapt at the chance to apply for 15 days of one-to-one tuition with Phil. What did you learn? Phil convinced me to spend longer on preparation; triple the time grinding glass was laborious, but worth it for an immaculate finish. A masterful blender, he also showed me how to achieve seamless graduation and be more adventurous with colour. He was a man of few words, so I was over the moon when I got my first ‘that’s good’ for a pot, blended through five shades from green to yellow, to hold Bendicks mints. Phil’s measured temperament suited the craft perfectly – as he told me, all you can do as you lay on the enamel with a quill is be in the right frame of mind and watch it like a hawk in the kiln.
Phil Barnes
Photograph: Julian Calder for A Celebration of British Craftsmanship
PRIVATE VIEW Harry FosterStringer
How did you start out? My apprenticeship covered diamond rings to civic regalia, incorporating mounting, engraving, and small-scale enamelling. This gave me a strong foundation of skills upon which I have built my career over four decades.
How valuable was this experience? Time with Phil saved me years of trial and error and quadrupled the scale at which I can work. It has also been a stark reminder how vital it is that we craftspeople share our skills while we can. Phil was diagnosed with cancer soon after I was awarded the QEST Bendicks Scholarship and died this summer. Having devoted his life to this wonderfully expressive craft, Phil was determined to encourage recent signs of a revival (for a while in the UK designers have not incorporated enamelling into their work as there were so few expert makers, therefore few people have taken up the trade as there was little call for it). During the past two years, he has been so generous with his knowledge, and I was overwhelmed when he gave me his materials and tools. This wouldn’t have happened without QEST, which has provided phenomenal support every step of the way. In the last few months alone I have exhibited at Halcyon Days, Bentley & Skinner, Royal Windsor Horse Show and D.R. Harris, proudly demonstrating my new skill that enables me to complete every element of each commission in house.
Bendicks Mint Chocolate Holder
QEST
Alumni News
QEST
ALUMNI NEWS
News from our QEST alumni of around 500 active, professional craftspeople, can be found by following QEST on social media. Here are a few recent highlights. qestcraft
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Stone carver and letter cutter Bernard Johnson has completed hundreds of commissions since his 2006 QEST Scholarship for tuition with master craftsman Iuean Rees. His most recent is from the parishioners of St Peter’s Church Brackley in Northamptonshire. The headstone of local 18th century poet Mary Leapor had decayed long ago; they sought a plaque to honour her name and sharp, witty observations on life as a woman and social injustice. Carved, painted and gilded by hand in his Oxfordshire studio, the letterforms on the Welsh slate are a combination of Roman and free-style flourished capitals with decorative laurel sprigs. bernardjohnson.co.uk lettercarver
A QEST John Paul Getty Jr Scholarship in 2012 supported Tim Hughes through his studies at West Dean College as he changed career to follow a 30-year passion for the conservation and restoration of clocks and scientific instruments. Tim is now fully immersed in this world. He is a Member of the British Horological Institute (MBHI), Antiquarian Horological Society and Scientific Instrument Society. Alongside working as a clockmaker and scientific instrument restorer, Tim is a consultant to Bellmans auctioneers and has returned to West Dean as an associate tutor on the Conservation of Clocks and Related Objects programme. “I feel privileged to be back in this rich environment helping future professionals to develop their bench skills and problem-solving abilities.” westdean.org.uk 17
Alumni News
The Royal Collection is one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. It runs to more than a million objects and comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts. Francesca Levey, a QEST J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust Scholar in 2016 for her MA in Conservation Studies at West Dean College, has been appointed Arms and Armour Conservator, assisting with the conservation and repair of 15,000 pieces of historic armour and weapons from many world cultures for display. Francesca recently completed the conservation of a sword made for George IV; this will be exhibited at George IV: Art & Spectacle at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace (15 November – 3 May 2020). “The hilt is some of the most exquisite goldsmithing I have ever seen.”
Photograph: Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019
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East Sussex-based Master Saddler Nicola Watson has 20 years’ experience repairing, refurbishing and manufacturing saddles, harnesses and bridlework. She is also an experienced rider, which gives her a strong all-round perspective on equestrian tack and fitting. In 2013, a QEST Saddlers’ Company Scholarship enabled Nicola to train with side saddle specialist Richard Godden. She competes on an Owen-style side saddle that she made herself and they have become a significant aspect of her business. Her talent was recognised at the Society of Master Saddlers National Saddlery Competition 2019 with first place in the Side Saddle Class (QEST Leathersellers’ Company Scholar 2016 Coralie Chong was awarded second place) and winning The Side Saddle Association Trophy. nicolawatsonleatherwork.co.uk NicolaWatsonLeatherwork
As a Masters student on the interdisciplinary course Critical Creative Practice at Solent University, 2005 QEST Wendy Keith Designs Scholar Suzy Merrifield was selected to show a piece to complement Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing at Southampton City Art Gallery. Observing A scheme for a canal to bypass the Arno (c.1503-4), on loan from The Royal Collection, Suzy was reminded of the intricate, sprawling behaviour of yarn, and the description of charcoal, pen and ink, brush and ink, ‘pricked through’ inspired her knitted response: A Stitch Through Time. She also incorporated other themes of da Vinci’s work: a canvas of cashmere to represent using the finest materials available and leaving the work untreated to maintain the clarity of each stitch in a line, as the artist was known for leaving pencil marks. 18
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The drama of Game of Thrones was brought to life at the season eight European premiere in Belfast by 2004 QEST Scholar Bob Johnston. Commissioned by famed HBO events producer Billy Butchkavitz, Bob spent seven months in his garden workshop weaving willow from growers in Belfast, Somerset and Belgium into three five-metre dragons, designed to exude anger and menace, and a 3.5-metre ‘Iron Throne’ made of around 200 individual willow swords. HBO has generously donated the pieces to the Ulster Museum, where they are currently on display.
Photograph: Gabor Ekecs
bobjohnstonbaskets.co.uk bob_johnston_willow_sculpture
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QEST
Alumni News
Photograph: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The 2019 Costume Institute exhibition CAMP: Notes on Fashion, running at The Met Fifth Avenue in New York until September, examines how humour, parody, pastiche, artifice and theatricality are expressed in fashion. Among the 250 objects, dating from the 17th century to the present, is couture milliner and 1999 QEST Scholar Deirdre Hawken’s Cauliflower Headpiece. With green ruffled outer leaves, crisp stalks, and hand-sewn pearl florets, it exemplifies her playfulness and craftsmanship. Deirdre has recently returned from Ulriksdal Castle in Stockholm, following an invitation by QEST milliner Lai Symes, where she gave a talk to Swedish Royal Warrant holders keen to hear first-hand the benefits of establishing a craft charity similar to QEST. deirdrehawken.com deirdrehawkenmillinery Jennie Adamson began her training on Savile Row in 2008 and has since worked for many of its houses. In 2016, she was awarded a QEST Johnnie Walker Scholarship for a place on the Innovative Pattern Cutting course at Central Saint Martins and established her own studio at Cockpit Arts in Holborn, where she bridges the worlds of bespoke tailoring, design and couture. A recent project for The Deck, a new tailoring house exclusively for women, drew on all these skills. “I was appointed as pattern cutter to develop four silhouettes for the launch collection that embody craftsmanship, quality, fit and modern femininity.” jennieadamson.com jennie_adamson
Completing a Masters in Ceramics & Glass at Royal College of Art on a QEST Tom Helme Scholarship in 2017 has propelled Celia Dowson straight into numerous projects. She is sharing a studio with fellow RCA alumni and, as the first artist-in-residence at St Paul’s School, has assisted with classes and made ceramic and glass work for Collect 2019 at the Saatchi Gallery. Celia showed her Rhossili collection at the London Glass Blowing Inspired exhibition in June before heading to Taiwan for a three-month residency at the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum. Here she is developing a body of work informed by Taiwanese culture and ritual of everyday objects, with patterns and shades emanating from nature. A selection will remain in the museum’s permanent collection. While Celia is away, the first in a series of ceramic vessel collections for Bamford will appear on the shelves, and in October visitors to Decorex International will see her new large-scale glass work on display with Future Heritage. celiadowson.co.uk celiadowson_ceramics
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Photograph: Sylvain Deleu
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Earth, Air, Fire, Water, a platter that Zoe Watts began on her 2018 QEST Scholarship with Rod Kelly, received a Silver Award for Senior Chasers in the Craft Section at The Goldsmiths' Craft & Design Council Awards 2019. Zoe describes the time devoted to developing her craft with Rod at his South House Silver Workshop on the Shetland Islands as a career highlight and this piece, inspired by the energy within nature, epitomises Zoe’s practice in the Cotswolds. In the Junior category, fellow QEST and Rod Kelly alumna Manasi Depala was awarded Gold for Chased Lotus Temple Box, which she is pictured holding on the back cover of A Celebration of British Craftsmanship.
While managing the Royal Horticultural Society’s Herbarium image collection, Niki Simpson was also establishing herself as a botanical artist and was awarded an RHS Gold Medal for her watercolour paintings. In 2004, she presented her vision for her craft to QEST and was awarded a Scholarship to explore the use of digital photography to create composite images for 21st century botanists. In 2018, Niki was described as a pioneer when she received the Jill Smythies Award, presented annually by The Linnean Society to 'a botanical artist in recognition of excellence in published illustrations…in aid of plant identification, with the emphasis on botanical accuracy'. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has acquired Niki’s illustrations of the flax plant printed on linen and cotton plant on organic cotton for its Illustrations and Artefacts Collections (she hopes both will be used to emphasise the plant origin and sustainability of these fabrics) and 12 further illustrations of British flora on fine art paper. Niki is currently working on the second edition of The Vegetative Key to the British Flora and experimenting with her scientific work to create repeat patterns and designs for paper, fabric, leather and china.
Photograph: Julian Calder for A Celebration of British Craftsmanship
zoewattsdesigns.co.uk zoewattsdesigns ZoeWattsSilversmith
visualbotany.co.uk Niki Simpson – Botanical Illustrator In 2016, Durham Cathedral commissioned glass artist and 2008 QEST Scholar Mel Howse to create a memorial for Durham University student Sara Pilkington. Working on any memorial is a privilege; this was coupled with the responsibility of putting a modern work into a UNESCO World Heritage site considered to be one of Britain’s most important buildings spiritually and architecturally. Donated by Sara’s parents, The Illumination Window - a vibrant expression of faith, love and learning in contemporary stained glass - was installed in the North Quire Aisle in 2019. Mel worked with architectural photographer and film maker Jim Stephenson throughout to record the story of why and how it was made; the three episodes can be viewed at melhowse.com melhowse.com 21
QEST
John Smedley
JOHN SMEDLEY CELEBRATES ��5 YEARS OF BRITISH CRAFTSMANSHIP The John Smedley story began during the infancy of the Industrial Revolution. Its home at Lea Mills in Derbyshire, established in 1784, is the oldest, still-manufacturing knitwear factory in the world. Renowned for the quality of its garments, the company holds a Royal Warrant By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen.
We have an appreciation of vintage mechanics and skill of the human hand through our watchmaking, so it felt both familiar and exhilarating to meet everyone at the John Smedley factory before designing a garment that will be true
During London Craft Week 2019, John Smedley unveiled its partnership with QEST for a series of events and collections to celebrate its 235th anniversary and dedication to British craft in all its forms.
to the values they have upheld for centuries.” Struthers Watchmakers
Ten QEST alumni were introduced at the opening of the John Smedley 235 Craig Struthers exhibition at St James’s Market Pavilion Watchmaker and and their stories are playing out at QEST Johnnie Walker Scholar 2017 John Smedley stores around the globe – including Milan, Japan and Bangkok (to coincide with its inaugural Craft Week) - and online throughout the year. Ian Maclean, managing director and 8th generation family member, hosted a discussion on Craft & Form in the Jermyn Street store with stone carver Zoe Wilson and ceramic artist Alice Walton, whose attention to quality raw materials and construction mirror the John Smedley ethos. Luthier Tom Sands spoke on the relationship between precision and tone in Sound & Vision before a live performance with Will McNicol on guitars made by Tom. In July, professional bee farmer James Hamill spoke about raising bees and conducted a honey tasting.
Photographs: © Asia Werbel
In October, John Smedley will launch the 235 Collection as part of Wool Week 2019. Looking to its own rich history of Britishness and the most noble of fibres, it will feature British sheep’s wool, alpaca and the first ever British garments made with guanaco from John Smedley’s own protected herd. Each piece will be entirely farmed, spun, knitted and hand finished in the UK.
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Beekeeper James Hamill
Uniting the two elements of the campaign, the 235 Collection will be modelled by the QEST alumni, photographed on location across the British Isles. John Smedley will also tell the story of its own makers involved in the production of this special collection: farmers, fibre
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spinners, and the 50 skilled craftspeople who knit and finish the garments. In a further gesture to support British craftsmanship, John Smedley will work with the QEST alumni to create a customised garment that blends the world’s finest Ceramicist Alice Walton and I had a knitwear with lively discussion with 8th generation inspiration from Smedley family member Ian Maclean their individual drawing comparisons between our crafts crafts. These 10 pieces will be and I look forward to the film they made auctioned to of my practice being released in August. raise funds to Zoe Wilson support future Stone Carver and QEST Scholars. QEST NADFAS Scholar 2014
Ian Maclean, Alice Walton & Zoe Wilson at Craft & Form
johnsmedley.com/ discover/legacy johnsmedleyknitwear
WORKSHOPS John Smedley, 55 Jermyn Street, London SW1Y 6LX 2019 5th September Ancient Craft with basket weaver Annemarie O’Sullivan and bell founder David Snoo Wilson 7th November Ode to Woodlands with furniture maker Daniel Harrison and Rémy Martin 2020 16th January Exploration of Leathercraft with Candice Lau 13th February Jewellery Making with goldsmith Kayo Saito
Tom Sands and Will McNicol at Sound & Vision
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QEST
Events
EVENTS
QEST DINNER: A SPECTACULAR NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM In March, The Earl of Snowdon hosted the fourth annual QEST fundraising dinner at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the home of ‘manufactures’, with Penhaligon’s continuing as principal sponsor.
Lord Snowdon
The event brought to life Lord Snowdon’s welcome message on sustaining Britain’s cultural heritage through excellence and lighting the fire of ambition with a humbleness that working with your hands exemplifies. Around the V&A rotunda, 18 QEST alumni engaged guests with This evening has become a highlight demonstrations of their in the Penhaligon’s calendar. True to crafts. Stone mason Lily Marsh worked our founding principles, we make our on a drapery study, products in Britain. Supporting QEST one of the skills and this event, which shines with craft honed during her talent, is an inspiring way to ensure that QEST Howdens Scholarship in 2017, British craftsmanship remains vital alongside QEST and relevant. Pamela de Tristan Lance Patterson Scholar Wayne Meeten chasing silver, potter and CEO, Penhaligon’s QEST Eranda Foundation Scholar Matthew Warner surrounded by his wares, and a trio of cordwainers: Deborah Carré, Frankey Pinnock, and Maud van den Broeke. QEST Highgrove Enterprises Apprentice Jack Silberrad talked about learning the ropes as a bee farmer with the London Honey Company, whilst at the bar, his honey was shaken with Scotch whisky and citrus to make Johnnie Walker Bees Knees cocktails. Dinner took place in The Raphael Gallery. Artist printmaker Jemma Gunning, who was recently elected as a member of the Royal Society of Painter Printmakers, spoke about her story since being awarded a QEST Johnnie Walker Scholarship for a print research fellowship at the City & Guilds of London Art School. She likened this age-old system to a set of Russian dolls - the knowledge and skills of each practitioner passed down by hand and encapsulated in the
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QEST Finnis Scott Foundation Scholar Poppy Field
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next generation - and thanked all donors on behalf of the QEST alumni for the opportunities they provide. The first lot in the auction conducted by Edward Rising - a bottle of 1980 Bowmore Single Malt Scotch Whisky donated by HM The Queen from the Royal Cellars – set a lively pace. It was followed by incredible experiences including: dinner with The Rt Hon Sir Nicholas Soames MP at The Goring; a visit to Taylor’s Port cellars in Portugal; the Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Experience at Royal Ascot; earrings and a diamond masterclass with Jessica McCormack catered by Bentley’s Entertainments; and a photographic portrait by A Celebration of British Craftsmanship photographer Julian Calder was so sought after, it sold twice. A generous collective of bidders ensured that Everything is Now, a life-size sculpture by QEST Finnis Scott Foundation Scholar Poppy Field will be cast in bronze. The silent auction was a further showcase for the talents of QEST alumni, including a stained glass panel by Eleanor Lachab, tapestry by Margaret Jones and clay portrait masterclass with Andrian Melka.
QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar Frankey Pinnock
QEST would like to thank Penhaligon’s, Moët et Chandon, Justerini & Brooks, Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray and Gordon’s, QEST alumni, auction lot donors, and guests for their generous contributions that enabled a successful evening of fundraising.
QEST Johnnie Walker Scholar Jemma Gunning
QEST
Events
LONDON CRAFT WEEK
QEST OPEN HOUSE
QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar Jamie Murray
London Craft Week returned to the capital for its fifth edition in May 2019. Celebrating outstanding British and international creativity, the festival brought together over 240 established and emerging makers, designers, brands and galleries. QEST held an Open House at Pewterers' Hall, an historic gem in the heart of the City with 17th century panelling, Georgian chandeliers and fascinating pewter artefacts. The day began with traditional and contemporary craft demonstrations by 14 QEST alumni, including engineer turned bookbinder and Worshipful Company of Clothworkers Scholar Manuel Mazzotti, signwriter and fairground artist Amy Hopkins, and sculptor Richard Mossman.
Julian also revealed a series of new portraits for QEST, which Chairman Nick Crean highlighted at the evening reception, where the five subjects were among those exhibiting their work. QEST Worshipful Company of Pewterers Scholar and Freeman Pewterer Gordon W. Robertson is pictured at Vintners’ Hall with Alderman Dr Sir Andrew Parmley and the gifts he created for Sir Andrew’s year as Lord Mayor of London: pewter formed into bowls and bottle holders, etched with a swan and vine motif designed to reflect elements of his coat of arms and livery companies.
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Portraits: Julian Calder
During the afternoon, Julian Calder, who travelled the length and breadth of the UK for the QEST book A Celebration of British Craftsmanship in 2018, gave a talk on his craft of portrait photography. Julian has undertaken all kinds of commissions in a long career, but his heart has always been in portraiture, striving to achieve a lasting image. Other books he has photographed and produced include The Oldest – Everything that is not in a Museum, Keepers – The Ancient Offices of Britain and The Queen’s Birthday Parade – Trooping the Colour.
QEST Apprentice Sophie Barrett
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Top to bottom: QEST Howdens Scholar Tom Vaughan, QEST Carole Bamford Scholar Alice Walton, Alderman Dr Sir Andrew Parmley and QEST Worshipful Company of Pewterers Scholar Gordon W. Robertson
Alice Walton, who completed her MA in Ceramics & Glass at the Royal College of Art on a QEST Carole Bamford Scholarship in 2018, is in her studio working on the surface texture of one of her street furniture-inspired pieces. Sophie Barrett is painting the set for a production of Rutherford and Son at the National Theatre, where she is in the final year of a Scenic Art Apprenticeship. QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar Jamie Murray is more used to being behind the lens; he is in the midst of a series of workshops on bespoke printing methods to further his practice as a photographer, printer, and bookmaker. Having created ways to manipulate wood into complex sculptural forms, Tom Vaughan, founder of Object Studio, has been exploring ways to achieve similar results in metals through a QEST Howdens Scholarship. Julian has captured this progress with Tom working on his Goldsmiths Chair, an evolution of a design for the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths Made for the Table exhibition and the first piece towards a boundary-pushing collection of cast metal furniture. juliancalder.com gordonwrobertson, alicewaltonceramics, _sb__art, jamieemurray, object_studio_london
Clockwise from top: Vitreous artist Mel Howse, Sophie Barrett, QEST Clarins Scholar Manasi Depala
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Events
Photographs: Rumen Mitchinov
LONDON CRAFT WEEK
THE CRAFT OF BESPOKE AT LINLEY Design, craftsmanship and innovation - central to the LINLEY ethos - are celebrated and encouraged in the studio and workshops, alongside the quintessentially British characteristics of sophistication, wit and charm. During London Craft Week, LINLEY opened the doors of its flagship showroom in Belgravia to reveal the intricacies involved in its renowned marquetry and the making of other bespoke products by QEST alumni. Louise Parry, who spent two weeks learning advanced silversmithing techniques with Rod Kelly on a QEST Scholarship in 2016, brought along a lathe and examples of the silver and gold clocks that she makes to commission. Glass artist Effie Burns showed how she uses engraving to transform the surface texture of glass; alongside was a glass cast of her left hand, a symbol of emotion and unconscious thought, on which she places her delicate sculptures. There was a constant, skillful tap of mallet on chisel as Wayne Hart carved letters in stone, and QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Scholar Thomas Merrett, who sketches from life then makes sculptures from the drawings and memories so he can focus on the natural rhythm of a composition, worked on a clay figure.
Kerry Lemon painting the LINLEY windows
Glass artist Effie Burns
Timepiece maker Louise Parry
Letter carving by Wayne Hart
Sculptor Thomas Merrett
In anticipation of Wild Formation, her month-long solo exhibition at LINLEY, Kerry Lemon spent three days hand painting the windows with botanical illustrations to complement her highly tactile, mixed media collages made with combinations of paint, ink, stitch, pencil, print, pastel and gilding. davidlinley.com louiseparry.co.uk effieburnsglass.co.uk awol-studios.co.uk/wayne-hart thomasmerrett.com kerrylemon.co.uk 28
TRAMPING BOOT A SPECIAL BOOT FOR A SPECIAL YEAR
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Bentley & Skinner Bentley & Skinner, jewellers and silversmiths By Appointment to HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales, invited eight QEST alumni - Kayo Saito, Jacqueline Cullen, Zoe Harding, Elizabeth Auriol Peers, Rod Kelly, Harry Forster-Stringer, Manasi Depala and Naomi Nevill - to display their work alongside the fine antique jewels in its Mayfair store. The 10-day exhibition, British Craftsmanship: Jewellery, Gold & Silver by Scholars of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, opened with a party hosted by managing director, Mark Evans: “We are keen to demonstrate that craftsmanship is alive in Britain today and highlight the important work that QEST is doing to ensure its future.” Rockpool Series by QEST Dengie Crops Scholar Naomi Nevill
Photographs: Shanae Staple
Goldsmith Kayo Saito
Neptunea Ring by Zoe Harding
Royal Windsor Horse Show The CHI Royal Windsor Horse Show in May attracted an all-star international line-up, featuring 15 of the world’s top 20 show jumpers. In the Royal Warrant Holders Association Pavilion, 14 QEST alumni provided live craft demonstrations throughout the five days, including a first-class group of saddlers - Shirley Justice Vose, Tiffany Parkinson, Nicola Watson and Clare Barnett with apprentice Joanna Murphy - at their stitching horses. Easels displayed work by artist Ben Laughton Smith, printmaker Jemma Gunning and stained glass by Sophie D’Souza, and armourer Graham Ashford was on hand for visitors in search of a bespoke visored bascinet or pair of gauntlets. qest.org.uk/media/event-gallery 31
QEST
Special Editions
SPECIAL EDITIONS QEST welcomes partnerships with Royal Warrant holding companies and those committed to British craftsmanship who wish to create special edition products. In return for pledging a donation or percentage of proceeds, companies are entitled to use the QEST mark to illustrate their generosity and support of the next generation of makers and conservators.
DONALD RUSSELL The individual, tenderloin racks of lamb for the Donald Russell Lamb Crown with Mushroom Duxelles are hand cut and tied by its expert butchers using traditional skills that take years to achieve, and which are sustained through its apprenticeship scheme in Scotland. The sale of these exquisite roasts will support the shared ambition of QEST and Donald Russell to ensure the survival of Britain's cultural heritage. £46 donaldrussell.com
ETTINGER In celebration of its 85th anniversary, Ettinger, manufacturers of leather goods By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales, has created 85 individually numbered leather bindings for bespoke Barnard & Westwood notebooks. Illustrations by British artist Rory Dobner appear throughout, including dapper ‘Nigel the Owl’ on the cover as a nod to founder Gerry Ettinger (who was never seen without his handmade umbrella) and pocket watches inside showing eight and five o’clock. £265 ettinger.co.uk
HALCYON DAYS Halcyon Days has created a limited edition, English fine bone china mug handcrafted by its own artisans in Stoke-on-Trent, where the company is dedicated to keeping the craft alive. The design team drew inspiration from traditional tools used by QEST alumni, including a blacksmith’s anvil, embroidery needles and threads, a beehive and honey dipper, watch movement, stonemasonry chisels and saws for woodworking, shoemaking lasts and a potter’s wheel. Available in cream and black, online and at Halcyon Days in the Royal Exchange, London. £35 halcyondays.co.uk
QEST BOOK A Celebration of British Craftsmanship, with foreword by HRH The Prince of Wales and introduction by Lord Snowdon, is a 240-page hardback book featuring 100 portraits, photographed by Julian Calder, of QEST alumni at their work benches and places of inspiration across the UK. Armourer, bookbinder, mosaic artists, calligrapher, ceramicists, weavers, wooden boatbuilder…their stories, written by Karen Bennett, encompass around 80 crafts and reveal a wealth of skill, knowledge, respect for traditions, and abundance of innovative spirit. £60 (including p&p) qest.org.uk/shop
THE CAMBRIDGE SATCHEL COMPANY The Cambridge Satchel Company is passionate about excellence in British craftsmanship. Since 2016, founder and CEO Julie Deane and head of product Scott Simpson (both QEST Ambassadors) have created collections made in Great Britain from fine leather and embossed with the QEST mark. The latest - featuring a new tote bag, The Emily, and introducing red to the existing range - is available online and in-store in Brighton, Cambridge, Edinburgh, London and Oxford. From £100 cambridgesatchel.com
If your company would like to support QEST during its 30th anniversary in 2020 through an existing product or specially created item, perhaps working with QEST alumni, please contact Deborah Pocock on 020 7798 1531 or deborah.pocock@qest.org.uk.
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QEST
Donors, Supporters & Sponsors
About QEST
Supporting Excellence In British Craftsmanship QEST is the charity of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, established in 1990 to celebrate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the 150th anniversary of the Association by supporting excellence in British craftsmanship. QEST sustains Britain’s cultural heritage by funding the training and education of talented and aspiring craftspeople through traditional college courses, vocational training, apprenticeships or one-on-one training with a master craftsperson. This helps to ensure the continuation of craftsmanship within the UK, enhancing and nurturing essential crafts skills that make a vital contribution to Britain’s cultural identity and the economy. Since 1990, the Trust has awarded around £4.3 million to over 500 craftspeople of all
SPONSOR A QEST SCHOLAR OR APPRENTICE The minimum donation for a named Scholarship is £10,000 and for an Apprenticeship £18,000 (typically over three years). Other donations will be allocated to general grant funds and recognised on the QEST website, social media platforms and in QEST magazine.
QEST MAGAZINE Advertise in the biannual QEST magazine, which spreads the word about the work of QEST, its craft alumni and supporters.
ages and backgrounds in more than 130 skill sectors, from rural to cutting-edge craft and conservation. Testament to the selection process and support, almost 90% of QEST alumni are still working in their craft today many acknowledged leaders in their field - and passing on their skills to the next generation. Funding is available to individuals for Scholarships (£5,000 to £18,000) for a specialist course or training and to businesses (in particular smaller companies) to employ Apprentices (up to £18,000 over 2-3 years). The charity, however, is only able to support around 10% of applicants and relies on the continued generosity of supporters to maintain and grow its far-reaching, vibrant network to promote excellence in British craftsmanship. There are many ways to get involved and help raise these much-needed funds. To find out more, contact QEST CEO Deborah Pocock on 020 7798 1531 or deborah.pocock@qest.org.uk
LEGACY Remembering QEST when making a will means that vital craft skills can be handed down to successive generations.
CONTACT QEST
020 7798 1535 or info@qest.org.uk justgiving.com/QEST 34
Thank you to the Royal Warrant holders, livery companies, trusts, foundations, brands and individuals who generously support QEST. The 29th May 1961 Charitable Trust The Alborada Trust Allchurches Trust Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation The Antiques Dealers Fair The Arts Society The Ashley Foundation The Aurelius Trust Carole Bamford Bendicks (Mayfair) Bentley & Skinner The Battersea Power Station Foundation D.R.Harris & Co. David Blackburn The Blagrave Trust The Britford Bridge Trust The Cambridge Satchel Company The Charlotte Bonham-Carter Charitable Trust CHK Charities Donald Russell The D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust The Dulverton Trust The Edith Murphy Foundation Jenifer Emery Ernest Cook Trust Ettinger The Finnis Scott Foundation Garfield Weston Foundation The Gosling Foundation Halcyon Days The Hedley Foundation Tom Helme OBE Howdens Joinery John Lyon's Charity John Smedley John Walker & Sons Johnstons of Elgin Professor Mark Kaufman The Kirby Laing Foundation Launer London L G Harris Trust Lock Hatters The London Art History Society Moët et Chandon Packexe Parker Pen Company Penhaligon’s The Pennies Foundation The PF Charitable Trust The Pilgrim Trust The Pimm’s Company The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund The Radcliffe Trust The Robertson Trust The Royal Warrant Holders Association R W Armstrong Sandringham Association of Royal Warrant Holders Sipsmith Sleepeezee The Stanley Picker Trust Tanqueray Gordon & Co Thomas Fattorini Thomas Goode Tricker’s The Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars The Worshipful Company of Broderers The Worshipful Company of Carpenters The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers The Worshipful Company of Drapers The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers The Worshipful Company of Leathersellers The Worshipful Company of Pewterers The Worshipful Company of Saddlers The Worshipful Company of Turners Winch Design The Wren Press
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Section of The Illumination Window at Durham Cathedral by 2008 QEST Scholar Mel Howse
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Q E S T. O R G . U K
JUSTGIVING.COM/QEST