I was fortunate enough to train and work under Adrian Smith, the experience of which provided me not just with the very best schooling in line and proportion, but also with a detailed knowledge of sound construction technique. During that time I worked on furniture of the highest quality, and it is to those high standards that I aspire in my own work.
For the major part of the production process hand tools are used. Machinery plays its part where appropriate, though it is never allowed to compromise the design. I mostly use native British hardwoods, principally sycamore and cherry, both in the solid and veneer. I believe that the finish is an important but often overlooked part of the production process. For this I use French polish or acrylic lacquer according to the design.
I find that timber is particularly appropriate as the matrix for expression. Shaped with sharpened steel this organic material may be incised, dissected, lacerated. The off-whites of bleached sycamore replicate bone, the warmer hues of cherry softer tissue. The grain can suggest muscle striation. Veneer can suggest integument.