Natural Lacquer Artwork

When I was an art student in London, I fell in love with Urushi at an exhibition of Edo period art held at the Royal Academy in London. I came to Japan in 1984 with a dream to study lacquer art; little did I know that it would take me a lifetime. It took me over five years to actually be able to get started as in those days traditional arts were the domain of Japanese men and I was refused on many occasions. Eventually in 1990, I was accepted into a lacquer art college , Ishikawa Kenritsu Wajima Shitsugei Kenshijo where I spent nine years learning all the different specialist subjects. Since then I have continued to make and exhibit my work in solo shows and in public exhibitions, opening my own gallery in Wajima in 2016.

Urushi is a very versatile material which has an innate beauty and natural lustre. Using only the best materials and being taught by Japanese master-craftsmen, I have tried to challenge the boundaries of modern day lacquerware like the innovative artists of the Edo period who truly understood urushi’s potential and also bear in mind the needs and lifestyles of modern society. The Japanese have a highly developed sense of beauty which has greatly moved me and which I hope has been a driving force in my work.