I was born in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders in 1958 and educated at Jedburgh Grammar School and Hawick High School.
I spent six years in the Army during which time I served with the Royal Marines. This included active service in the Falklands War in 1982.
Leaving the Army in 1983 I worked for a short time in the former mining village of Newtongrange, outside Dalkeith, before returning to University for an unsuccessful attempt to gain a postgraduate degree.
This led to the City of London in 1984 where I trained as a stockbroker. I then spent four years managing communications and information technology.
A long held desire to make things led to a return to the Borders in 1989 where I set up a workshop on the Mertoun Estate, near St Boswells. I was greatly encouraged and supported in this venture by my wife.
Artists Statement
Most of my work is privately commissioned and furniture prices vary depending on scale and complexity of design. Work can take from several days to many months to complete. I am prepared to work closely with clients on design and give a range of options. Flexibility is the key word and I believe strongly in meeting the clients desired objectives.
The chair, with an intricate portrait of a wych elm tree and the epitaph ‘Our debt to trees/as deep as roots’ carved into the reverse, makes a fitting memorial to the trees that succumbed to the disease. The sheath of wheat and a sickle carved into the other side of the back reflects the history of the recently refurbished, 18th-century Mill House at Buildwas in Shropshire.
