My business, Ian Thwaites “Woodworks” is a design and create business for anything in wood. I have an extensive workshop facility with equipment to process all forms of wood and wood based products required for the eclectic range of projects I have completed and will tackle in the future.
I have worked in the industry since studying for a degree in Industrial Arts in 1980-84.
I have completed countless small scale furniture commissions, mainly one-off designs to suit the needs and values of my customers. Examples of these pieces can be seen on my website and include: Dining Tables, Hall Tables, chairs, Kitchen units, Island benches, Wine cabinets, Beds, bedside tables and many other bespoke wood creations such as Guitar stands and custom storage boxes and systems.
The artistic side of my business mainly involves lathe based sculptural pieces where I create Bowls, Vases, Platters, boxes and my speciality of Boats, created by turning a bowl with a “Clinker” plank pattern then cutting and removing an angled shape wedge and re-joining the two pieces. I have found this to be a wonderful metaphor to convey messages of Global Warming, Vanity, personal experiences, politics or just to create familiar marine settings and scenes to to elicit memories for the viewer.
I am also a very keen and imaginative re-cycler creating framed pieces from beach plastic flotsam collected from local South West beaches and larger sculptural pieces such as Birdhouses from driftwood and garden art of various practical and purely aesthetic end uses.
I am very excited to be free of my full time teaching commitments and to be able to focus my advanced woodworking skill set and my creative experiences to work with clients who want that “Something Special” made from wood.