Richard
Like many of our students Richard claimed to have pretty much never picked up, let alone used a chisel before joining our 3 term Designer Maker course in September 2017.
So he didn’t bring much making experience but he did bring as our students often do a wealth of life and work experience that would stand him in good stead to confront the challenges of becoming a furniture maker and designer in just 11 months. A passion to learn new things, a strong work ethic and an open mind in relation to design were all strengths Richard had in abundance and he was a joy to work with during his initial course and on going as he rents space in our development workshop.
If you take a close look at the images that follow you will certainly see how far Richard developed as a maker. His work is of exceptional quality and really does hit the standards demanded by all of our tutors. What you may also see are design aspects that draw on his love of architecture, engineering and the natural world.
More of Richards work can be seen on his Instagram page and website as well as at galleries and exhibitions in the York area.
And in his own words…
I first visited Waters and Acland in the spring of 2017 and ever since it has continued to feature at various points in my furniture making career.
I went on their week long taster course in early 2017. The pace of tuition and friendly and encouraging approach to furniture making made the whole week really enjoyable. At the end of the week I knew I wanted to explore furniture design and improve my making skills further. By the September of the same year I was enrolled on their year-long Designer/Maker course. I had an amazing year and made some great friends who are part of my support network today. The team at Waters & Acland collectively helped me develop and improve my designing and making skills to the point where at the end of my year-long course I was ready to set up my own business. Since setting up my business the team at Waters & Acland’ has continued to provide invaluable adhoc advise on various designs and making challenges.
Keen to develop my skills further, I returned to Waters & Acland in September 2020 to make a drinks cabinet based on a study of an Egyptian artefacts as a statement piece for an exhibition. During this same time an opportunity to rent space in Waters & Acland new ‘development workshop’ became available. I seized on the opportunity and spent some of 2021 helping to set the workshop up. I now split my time between my home workshop and this Waters & Acland.
As a relative newbie to furniture design and making access to expertise is important to me, it speeds up the process plus provides ne with a level of confidence to continue to stretch myself in design and making. Dividing my time between their Development Workshop and home workshop brings the huge benefit of access to such expertise. The fact I have returned to Waters & Acland speaks volumes about their style of teaching and the rounded approach to all aspects of design, making and advise on establishing a business.”
