Martin Damen – portfolio

Contact the artist

https://www.martindamen.com/
01295 758519

To email me please use the contact form on my website at https://www.martindamen.com/contact

 

The artist at work

Artist information

I do not come from a creative background.  I grew up in a family where, despite enjoying woodwork at school, greater value was placed on purely academic subjects such as mathematics and the sciences.  Consequently, it was not until I had finished a career in the Army 22 years later that, in 2000, an opportunity arose to practice traditional greenwood working.

In 2012 I gave up a part-time job with the National Trust to practice greenwood working full time.  After starting with turned items and some furniture I began to specialise in hand carving spoons, bowls and related items.

It is the simplicity of the craft that I enjoy the most.  There is great satisfaction to be found in making beautiful hand-crafted “simple” utensils that the owner can have the pleasure of using every day.  I do every process in the making of each piece from collecting timber from where it stood less than 10 miles from the workshop, through fashioning the item using simple hand tools to preparing it for sale and ultimately passing it on to its new owner. 

My first inspiration was, and still is, Bob Shaw who introduced me to greenwood working over 25 years ago.  He is a woodland owner, natural craftsman and a long standing advocate for sustainability.  I also find inspiration in the work of Dan Dustin, an American “Hand Spoonmaker” who uses the characteristics of the wood to make spoons that are beautiful in their apparent simplicity.

In 2012 I had a workshop built at the bottom of my garden.  It is very much “my space” organised the way I want.  It is not always tidy; it may be knee deep in shavings when I have a lot of work on.  In fact, the only time it really is tidy is when I’m teaching.  If not making or teaching, then I’m happy to be in the workshop doing other jobs such as sharpening tools or sweeping up!