Scott Irvine
Born in Edinburgh in 1970, Scott was introduced to woodworking at an early age in his grandfather's workshop. Throughout his childhood Scott could always be found in the garden shed with some blocks of wood and constructing his early creations. He left school at the age of 16 with good qualifications and advice to follow a different career to the one he had already set his heart on. However, he decided to fulfil his passion of working with wood and trained as a carpenter in a local firm in Balerno.
In 1993, following a paralysing illness (Guillain Barre Syndrome) which unfortunately left Scott with some residual weakness and pain in his feet, he was unable to return to carpentry as his full time profession. Having a great devotion to working with wood, he was determined to carry it on, which led him into the art of woodturning and carving which has been entirely self-taught.
The freshness of his designs continue to surprise and delight an ever-growing number of private and corporate collectors of his work. His ability to challenge the predictable function of the basic form of a bowl has led him to unite wood with different materials such as metals, fused glass and stone, creating a dramatic fusion of effects.
Scott is committed to using only windfallen or diseased native timber.
The bulk of the timber is air seasoned for a minimum of 1-2 years, and is then transferred to a kiln to be dried further over a period of weeks. Scott never designs a piece before starting work on it The form of the final design is developed through working with the particular blank and interpreting the grain. Once the basic shape is established though turning on a lathe, any decorative features are then performed. Scott not only likes his work to be visually stimulating, he also likes to arouse the sense of touch which is achieved by incorporating in-laid metals, fused glass and carving.
Once the form has been turned and fully sanded, the finishing process can begin. It is performed over a period of approximately four days, and involves several coats of a mixture of oils which enhance the grain of the wood whilst protecting and sealing it.
Don’t hesitate to email us on info@cambridgegallery.co.uk or call us on 01223 324222 if you have any questions about specific pieces.
