Forests of inspiration
EVERY DAYIASK MYSELF IS IT WORTH IT? IT’S NOT A NORMAL9 TO 5 JOB, IT IS WORKING ALL THE TIME
“EVERYDAY you ask yourself, is it worth it?”
A hobby that turned into a full time job, Matt Jones is an acclaimed wood turner artist who designs beautiful handmade wooden items.
The idea was sparked from reading a library book and after completing a 12 month evening course and receiving a City and Guilds qualification, Matt turned his hobby into a full- time job.
“I ended up trying to make it a career and I’m still trying” Matt said laughing.
Originally from Wales, Matt moved to Riverstown village in 2005 with his wife Imelda and their children to renovate a former family home.
In 2009 he built his workshop and with the downturn in the economy he starting woodturning full- time and his business evolved into a family run enterprise. Having studied Fine Arts at the Chelsea College of Art and Design, London aged 17, Matt’s trained artistic eye brings a unique approach to the craft of wood turning.
Matt uses only ethically sourced Irish wood such as fallen beech, walnut, ash and oak trees to make his collection of handmade salad bowls, salt mills, pepper grinders, commissioned items and sculptural art pieces. He works from his workshop based in Riverstown surrounded by hills, woods and the wild Atlantic sea.
Matt explains where he draws his inspiration from in particular from nature and the material in the wood.
“When you cut through the side of wood and see what is revealed on the inside - the grain - your job then is to preserve what’s in the object. For my work I try to keep it as simple as possible so it doesn’t clutter up the wood. I also draw inspiration from the forest floor and the Irish Sea shore.”
While business is good at the minute, Matt explains that there are a number of different ways that he makes money - through his online shop with most of his products going to America, Australia and the UK.
“The market’s not really here. I am selling the West of Ireland as a framework for what can be made here. But Irish people aren’t really looking for Irish- made products,” explains Matt.
However Matt has never considered a move to help with the sale of his products: “I won’t move again. I have lived in the big cities London, Los Angeles, New York. It doesn’t appeal to me. What I can gain from working here in Sligo compensates for what I don’t earn. It isn’t all about the money.”
An important aspect to Matt’s work is how he obtains the wood he works with. Working with tree surgeons in the region, Matt gathers wood from trees that have fallen due to wind fall or if they are dangerous and need to be removed.
“If I don’t take that wood it ends up in a fire. I don’t look at a tree and think let’s cut that down. There is an ethical side to what I do which is important. I don’t use imported wood either, you don’t know how or where it comes from,” says Matt.
His favourite type of wood to work with, that has proven most popular with his customers is Ash: “I love it as it is a native wood as well as the colour and flexibility of the wood. It is a very forgiving when you’re sanding it down.”
While Matt spends a lot of his time working on his own, he says that he wouldn’t have it any other way: “I do what I do on my own, I turn on my music and listen to that and I don’t have anyone under my feet. If I was unsure of something I would get advice from another wood turner who might be doing it longer than me. Other than that I don’t look for people to validate my work.”
He recently had his work showcased at the London Design festival in September: “I attended the festival back in 2014. People like to make a song and dance about it for their Facebook or Instagram. But to be honest it doesn’t make a huge impact. It does help with your reputation and CV but it doesn’t drive people in great numbers to your website. That takes time.”
Sligo Design Week is running from the 7th to the 13th of November and this is the second year that Matt has been involved. He will be holding an open workshop on Thursday the 10th of November where people can see him turning and can ask questions.
Matt believes that Design Week is an important event for local designers not just here in Sligo but around the country: “The crafts people here are invisible. They are tucked away in small communities and very few have shop fronts. People need to be reminded that they are working away, producing work and doing something that people around the world are really interested in.”
While woodturning is clearly something Matt is passionate about, he admits that it isn’t always smooth sailing and he thinks about how his job will benefit his wife and their four children: “Every day I ask myself is it worth it? It’s not like a normal 9- 5 job. It is working all the time. You are your own boss and you have to get yourself motivated and the creativity reflects this.
“Facing into Christmas it can be quite bleak. September, October and November are quiet. And then suddenly everything kicks off, but most designers have that crisis where you think, why am I doing it?”
Looking towards the future he hopes that he can make more sales through his online shop and he looks forward to The National Craft competition in the RDS, a key competition for him.
Family is an important aspect to Matt and he credits his wife Imelda for helping him with the business: “She helps with the marketing and the administration side of things. But she is always there for me when I am fed up: she picks me up and dusts me off.”
Matt’s open workshop as part of Design Week will take place on Thursday Nov 10th from 10.00am- 2.00pm in his workshop in Riverstown. For more information see www. sligodesignweek. ie