Dennis Hales works with locally grown sycamore, holly, ash and maple. The white woods offer a natural canvas on which to incorporate a wide range of finishing techniques. Turned, carved, textured surfaces finished with water soluble dyes pigments and metal leaf are used to enhance the natural features of the wood whilst achieving a sympathetic balance of form and finish. His work includes fruit displays, Sycamore bowls embellished with silver leaf and wall plates of ash and copper and is sold through galleries, exhibitions and craft society events. Dennis has recently appeared on ITV’s ‘Sixty Minute Makeover’.
Dennis is a Registered professional turner with the Worshipful Company of Turners of the City of London and a member of The Norfolk Contemporary Craft Society and the Suffolk Craft Society.
Commissioned work has included; table centre fruit dishes, gold leaf bowls, wedding anniversary wall platters and business award plates.
Visit the workshop display (by appointment) to discuss individual requirements.
Current work involved the use of archival pigment (from ink jet industry) in conjunction with variegated gilt to produce wall plates and bowls from figured sycamore, “wet turned” holly shells with natural bark edges with air brushed exterior and foot and thick walled natural edge Ash bowls.
Shows
SEPTEMBER 96 | DECORATIVE ARTS TODAY | BONHAMS,
KNIGHTSBRIDGE |
JUNE 97 | THE PEAROOM CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARYCRAFT | HECKINGTON, LINCS |
OCTOBER 98 | BIRDS and BOWLS | DANSEL GALLERY
ABBOTSBURY ,DORSET |
FEBRUARY 99 | FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD | BILSTON CRAFTGALLERY
WOLVERHAMPTON |
SEPTEMBER 00 | AUTUMN FRUITS | GALLERY 48
LAVENHAM, SUFFOLK |
JUNE 01 | PROFILE
FOUR PAGE FEATURE |
WOODTURNING
(PUBLICATION) |
JUNE 2002 | JUBILEE EXHIBITION
NORWICH CASTLE |
NORFOLKCONTEMPORARY
CRAFT SOCIETY |
JULY 2005 to
JULY 2012 inclusive |
ART IN ACTION | WATERPERRY HOUSE OXFORDSHIRE |
JULY 2005 | “BRITISH WOODTURNING” | RUFFORD CRAFT CENTRE |
OCTOBER 2008 | QUEBEC MEETS EAST ANGIA | QUEBEC HOUSE
PALL MALL |
AUGUST 2009 | “BANQUET” | WALFORD MILL DORSET |
FEBRUARY 2010 | CORPORATE BUSINESS AWARDS | ARTS and BUSINESS EAST |
APRIL 2011 | CRAFT AND DESIGN MONTH
National launch |
LONDON GLASSBLOWING CENTRE |
OCTOBER 2012 | Wizardry in Wood | CARPENTERS HALL CITY OF LONDON |
JULY2014
|
MALALA YOUSAFZAI
presentation piece |
LIVERPOOL |
AUGUST 2004 to AUGUST 2016 inclusive | CRAFTS IN ACTION
The Sussex Guild |
MICHELHAM PRIORY SUSSEX
Guest exhibitor |
Basic Techniques
Traditional turning skills are used with local grown hardwoods sycamore holly ash and maple.
The application of colour involves the use of water-soluble dyes AND pigments. Modern aniline dyes and traditional dyes such Vandyke crystals are used to give a blend of colours and shades. The dyes are applied to the work after it has been turned. I use a variety of techniques including hand painting airbrushing and marbling, which involves over washing with the dyes. The partially completed work is then returned to the timber dryer to recondition the wood to the low(9% to 12%) moisture content. This is followed by further applications of colour prior to gilding and lacquering.
Gilding
After the pieces are decorated and lacquered (using a pre-cat lacquer as used by cabinet makers) the work is gilded using metal leaf transfers 24 carat gold, copper, double weight silver leaf, variegated leaf and imitation gold.
To achieve the broken affect the metal is lifted using the transfer paper and wooden scribes. The amount of texture is determined by the timing of the drying process as the size acts as a lubricant, which allows movement of the leaf. The piece is replaced in the dryer to harden before being returned to the lathe .At this stage a fine scribe is used to engrave/ machine the leaf surface and cut back to the coloured background. The piece then receives a further two coats of lacquer which encapsulate the leaf to minimise any risk of tarnishing.
“Wet Turning” Holly Bowls
The wood is turned part seasoned and decorated on the lathe, and then allowed to dry. As the wood dry it shrinks across the grain which tends to accentuate elliptical forms such as Natural edge bowls and introduces movement in to larger platters, (not dissimilar to high fired ceramics). Providing the thin profile is constant there is no risk of cracking.
After drying including conditioning in the timber dryer (dehumidifier drying by transpiration) work is hand finished on the bench due to the excessive movement.