AMY ISLES FREEMAN
Combining drawing, painting and wood turning, Amy makes fabulously decorative, functional objects in a converted cattle shed in Cornwall
Can you tell us about your arts background and training? I studied BA drawing at Falmouth School of Art, graduating in 2014. After finishing, I was eager to learn a new skill and to produce something that wasn’t just to be hung on a wall or exhibited in a gallery, but to be part of someone’s everyday life. I was taught to wood turn on a farm in Cornwall and I haven’t looked back.
What is your local community like? Cornwall is an interesting place to live. It’s so far away from cities and rush hour, commuting and smog, and time moves slowly. But among the sleepiness is a pocket of really exciting makers and craftspeople. Resources such as Instagram allow me to be in Cornwall, yet feel on the pulse in terms of what other people are making across the world.
Can you describe your studio space? I work on an old farm, where the cattle sheds have been loosely converted into workshops – my studio used to be a piggery. The farm is home to woodworkers, metalworkers, a bronze caster and a stonemason. The freedom this gives me as an artist to take on different techniques and use different tools is just wonderful.
How long does it take to make a bowl?
My work has two different processes, the turning and the painting. I can make and paint a big bowl or a maybe a couple of small ones in a day. Eventually, I will stop the turning and focus solely on the painting, as it all becomes too time consuming.
What’s in the pipeline? I’m hoping to be making some bigger pieces of furniture soon, and I am always up for collaborations, so really anything could happen.
Where can our readers buy your work? They can either contact me directly via my website or buy some of my pieces at the Search & Rescue shop in Stoke Newington Church Street, north London.
Visit amyislesfreeman.co.uk or searchandrescuelondon.co.uk.