North Somerset Arts Trail

 We are taking part in North Somerset Arts Trail again this year!

North Somerset Arts Week has "become a strong and positive feature if the North Somerset cultural landscape... It has provided a focus for art in every form and medium, a philosophical, political and artistic quest for expression and questioning, a context for well being and creative dynamism all around us, an outlet for our emotions, sense of wonder and mystery." (taken from NSAW Guide)

Over 300 artists and creators in nearly 100 venues will be opening their doors to the public this week, to give people the opportunity to experience a wide variety of arts and cultural creation within the county.

During this week our workshops will be open to the public, so please come and visit us to see what we get up to. We share our workshop spaces with other members of the Chelvey Designer Makers collective. Jim and the other workshop inhabitants will be on hand to demonstrate processes and to chat about their work.

You will have the opportunity to learn more about the skills and expertise involved in creating handcrafted furniture, and you will be able to see examples of some remarkable and unique products made out of local and sustainably sourced timbers.

We look forward to meeting you!

During the Arts Trail we will be open for visitors at the following times:

Fri 3 May: 10 - 6

Sat 4 May : 10 - 6

Sun 5 May: 11 - 5

Mon 6 May: 10 - 6

Tue 7 May: 10 - 6

Wed 8 May: 12 - 6

Thu 9 May: 12 - 6

Fri 10 May: 10 - 6

Sat 11 May: 10 - 6

Sun 12 May: 11 - 5

Our address is:

Brickyard Wood Barns
Brockley Lane
Chelvey
Backwell
Bristol
BS48 4AB 

Furniture for Jamie's Italian, Greenwich

Here are some pieces that I'm working on for Jamie's Italian restaurant in Greenwich, which opens later this year.

All the pieces are made from reclaimed oak. The oak required sanding back using an angle grinder with an abrasive disc to remove much of the encrusted dirt on the timber. The timber was then further sanded to a finer grit before finishing. 

The final finished pieces are rustic and characterful and it would be very hard to distress new timber in order to replicate the age and features of the reclaimed timber. Do you like the appearance?

Retail table

(1750mm x 750mm x 800mm)

Waiter stations

(1000mm long x 800mm high)

 Large forged steel black tee hinges are used as a decorative feature on the above waiter stations. These also have the advantage of being a stronger hinge than a kitchen-type hinge. The cupboards are in use every day by lots of staff in a high volume restaurant.

Bar tables

(the longer two are 3.5m long)

The metal frames for these tables have been beautifully handmade by local artist blacksmith Sam Bailey. 

Made in Britain!

I'm currently making some tables for Made in Britain, a pop-up shop in Quakers Friars (Bristol) opening in mid-April. The shop is being run by the good people from Made In Bristol, who do fantastic work in supporting local makers.

Here is a picture of the timber I am using, and one of the finished table in the workshop. It is part of an ash tree I milled last year. It has some absolutely beautiful rippling!
 

And here are the details for Made In Britain's pop-up shop.  It will be a great opportunity to see what British artists and makers are producing both across the country and here in Bristol.

Chopping boards!

We've just added some new items to our shop, including these fantastic chopping boards.

This first board is made from English oak and cherry, features end grain detailing and is finished with sunflower oil. It's for sale for £100. Dimensions: 560mm x 340mm x 45mm.

This second one is a smaller chopping board in English ash, also finished with sunflower oil. Dimensions are: 400mm x 360mm x 70mm. This is for sale for £50.

To see these and other items for sale please visit the shop at our 

main website here: Jim Sharples Furniture - shop.

 

Full circle!

Coffee table in English oak.

The top of the table - a beautiful effect created by the book-matched timber.

This book-matched walnut coffee table is made from the first tree I milled into boards. The timber came from a client's woodland about half a mile away from the workshop. The video below shows the walnut being milled:

After milling the timber was put into storage here at the workshop, until last month when it was finally ready for use. At the client's request a beautiful book-matched coffee table has been created from their timber, so the tree has now gone full circle, returning in a more useful and beautiful form!

WIN A MIRROR! We have a winner!

As some of you who follow our facebook page will already be aware, our competition closed at the end of October, and we now have a winner! Congratulations are due to Sarah McCallum who won with the following wonderful entry:

I prefer to use a local maker because they take pride in their products, value their customers and keep traditional crafts alive. Plus, it's a fantastic opportunity to support talented local makers who produce beautiful creations crafted with integrity, individual style and skill that will stand the test of time and add beauty to our lives every day.  

We had a close runner-up with Leigh Tunnadine's entry:

I prefer to use a local maker because... it keeps it real ;)  - Thank you Leigh! 

 We have decided to share all the entries with you here, because they were wonderful! So here they all are, in no particular order: 

Sue: I prefer to use a local maker because it's easier to develop a good relationship with them (vital in the commissioning process),deal with any snags and to purchase more items to go well with what I already have. Of course, in doing so I am supporting the local economy and reducing my carbon footprint by buying local, too.

Dave Ashby-Styles: I prefer to use a local maker because it is good to support local small businesses and at the same time you get the personal touch, which is oh so rare these days!

Sarah Bowen: I prefer to use a local maker because they're a welcome antidote to mass-produced imported goods. You get to link the maker with the finished product and end up with something unique and special!

Philip Lovemore: I'd prefer to use a local maker, because mass produced furniture lacks depth of caricature and is only designed to last until the next stytle or range comes out. Where as a local maker will produce something more like a piece of timeless art and will be something your children and grandchildren are likely to enjoy.

Sheena Louise Mapson: I prefer to use a local maker because.... then I can pay with my Bristol Pounds  ; 0

Martina Mackintosh: be it a butcher or baker or candlestick maker everyone knows local is best

Alistair Mackintosh: I am very vocal, about my love of local. Even to my wife, I says to 'errr, you can't beat Jim Sharples Furnitu-errr . Works best with a Bristolian accent!

Gill Porter: I prefer to use a local maker cos I can send the stuff back with a small ecofoot print if I dont like it !!

Bridget Page: I prefer local makers!

Angharad Sharples: I prefer to use a local maker because (in no particular order) 1.) So the profit goes straight to the well deserved maker of the product. 2.) as its better for the environment.

Competition: WIN A MIRROR!

In November one lucky person will become the proud new owner of an original Jim Sharples Furniture mirror*! All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning is to complete the following caption:

“I prefer to use a local maker because...”

Come and make friends with us on facebook and post your answer to our timeline, or if you prefer just post your sentence here.

Competition closes 31st October 2012 and the winner will be chosen from the best answers!

(*Approx. 50x35cm waney-edge mirror, collection only from the workshop.)