collaboration

New Collaboration

September 17, 2016UncategorizedChloe Needham, collaboration, London, new workhibbertlou

In the last few months I have been working on an exciting new collaboration with Chloe Needham, a paper artist also living in North Wales.

It has been really interesting working with someone who’s medium is completely different to mine and one I haven’t had any experience of before (except being slightly obsessed with cutting things up with scissors when I was at school!).

After some discussions together at Chloe’s house in Llanrwst we eventually decided on a design for a sculptural moth light. With me making the body and Chloe the delicate coloured wings, the moth would rest on a bare bulb hanging on a wall.

We were then very fortunate to be able to visit Rhyd-y-Creuau – the Field Studies Centre in North Wales (and where my partner Mark works) – where we were able to look at the moths caught the night before by Alice, and their collection of moths and butterflies. It was great to be able to see them in 3D, see how they moved and flew and look closely at the fine details.

Looking at the moth trap at Rhyd-y-Creuau

Chloe and Alice

Chloe and me

We are close to finishing the piece and hope to have it ready in time for me to show it at Wizardry in Wood in London this October (www.wizardryinwood.com)

carving the body out of ash

moth body with scale drawing

copper antennae and blackwood eyes

trying out wing designs

working out the legs

legs in copper

Heading to China!

February 27, 2014UncategorizedChina, collaboration, Internationalhibbertlou

Its now only a few days before I start my journey to China to take part in the next international collaborative project, that began with the Improvisations on the Theme of an Irish Wall. Terry Martin, with his great connections has managed to instigate another project, this time based in China – ‘Carving the Way to Harmony: International Wood Carvers Create a Collaborative Masterpiece’, with ten international woodworkers and ten Chinese carvers (we think!). Of our original group in Ireland, Jacques Versery, Cillian O’Suilleabhain and I will be going. I will be in China from the 5th – 29th March,

So far we have discovered that we probably won’t know exactly what’s going to happen and who’s taking part until we get there. Below are a couple of images of the venue we think we will be working at. But I’m sure it will be an amazing experience to have a chance to participate in!

The Irish Wall

July 10, 2013Uncategorizedcollaboration, Ireland, Terry MartinhibbertlouGallery

Improvisations on the Theme of an Irish Wall, Wood Art Collaboration

In November 2012 I received an email from Terry Martin asking if I’d be interested in joining in a collaborative event in Ireland next May/June to create a wall of wood inspired by the dry stone walls that dominate much of the Irish countryside. It was to be an international event with approximately 10 Irish artists and 10 internationals from the United States, Canada, Britain, France, China, Australia and New Zealand and the finished wall was to be exhibited as part of the Carlow Arts Festival.

I thought perhaps Terry had finally lost his mind, but an opportunity to visit Ireland, work with other woodworkers and possibly catch up with my good friend and basketmaker Anne Harrington-Rees seemed too good to pass up so I agreed to take part.

After hundreds of emails back and forth discussing how we might go about making this thing actually happen, we all turned up at Glenn Lucas’s studio with no real concrete ideas as to how to start, what it might look like or how it was all going to hold together but still be able to be transported to the VISUAL gallery in Carlow!

Despite the shaky start we all just got stuck in and in a miraculous spell of warm sunny weather we had an amazing, intense week of making new friends, renewing old ones, and pulling together to make an incredible wall that I think surprised us all.

It was exhibited at the VISUAL arts centre for Carlow Arts Festival in June – Sept 2013. Made by 22 wood artists, carvers, furniture makers and turners at Glenn Lucas Woodturning Study Centre, Co Carlow and filmed by the International Wood Culture Society.

Liam Flynn, Cillian O’Suilleabhain, Emmet Kane, Glenn Lucas, Ambrose O’Halloran, Brid O’Halloran, John Lee, Alan Meredith, Liam O’Neill, Brendan Hogg, Adam Doran, Roger Bennet (Ireland)
Neil Turner, Terry Martin (Australia)
Art Leistman (Canada)
Mark Sanger, Louise Hibbert (UK)
Christian Delhon (France)
Sharon Doughtie, Michael Brolly, Jacques Vesery (USA)
Xiang Dong Wang (China)

Su Jin Ling, Jerry Chang, Dillon Lin, Mike Hou