Although he grew up surrounded by woodland, it was only when Ambrose
challenged himself with making a chair that he decided to pursue woodwork. He
took a degree in 3D Design at Falmouth University, equipping himself with
pragmatic skills in carpentry, whilst grappling with the challenges of
environmental design. Some of his most invaluable skills were passed on to him
informally, from a friendly retired carpenter. “He was the one who encouraged
me to keep on making, using traditional hand skills,” Ambrose explains. “He
made mallets and a shavehorse for me, and he has given me some very lovely, old
tools to work with.”
Predominantly using local ash, cherry, oak and walnut, Ambrose works
into each piece patiently by hand. To create his stools, he uses traditional
furniture making techniques such as steam bending and spokeshaving, and the
surfaces of some of his pieces are lightly scorched using the Japanese Shou
Sugi Ban technique.
Ambrose’s donated shavehorse now lives in his timber-framed barn,
which he uses for large scale projects and for teaching furniture making
workshops. “The barn is off grid, and the solar panels help to power the
machinery,” Ambrose says. “It limits the methods we use.” It is these
limitations that characterise each traditional yet contemporary piece by Ambrose
with a modest and rich quality, unique to the handmade.
All comments are moderated. Published comments will show your first name but not your email. We may use your email to contact you regarding your comment.