Tom Staddon

My training in furniture construction has given me a fascination with history and the changing detail according to the fashion of that time.  Inspiration comes from the somewhat crude Tudor oak carving through to the immensely elaborate Grinling Gibbons, whose skill is just breathtaking, and then on to Pugin's work around the Houses of Parliament.  This catalogue of carving gives me the wealth of the reigns of the Kings and Queens of England at my disposal.

Being part of the Suffolk Craft Society the need to have a style of your own is a priority.  It is hugely difficult to not to be influenced by the old masters of carving and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t, but to wake in the night with a new idea for a piece of work is such a great feeling especially when that idea ends up on show in a gallery.  Suffolk provides me with much of the contemporary influence I need for my work.  The churches that look over almost every town and village always have some gem of beauty within to inspire me.

Recently I have moved my studio back to my home town of Wickham Market and enjoy the peaceful slow pace of real Suffolk it provides.  The tools I use are all pre-war manufactured in Sheffield.  The best steel, made by eye.  Each one has a different handle (I have approximately 200) so colour and shape catches my eye when a change of shape in my carving is called for.  I like to stick fast to the use of local timber if possible, Oak, Ash, Elm, Lime and Sycamore are perfect.

Commissions are very varied, some being traditional and others contemporary. If you would like to see more examples of my work, why not visit my web site or see my work at Serena Hall Gallery in Southwold or at Gallery Two in Ipswich.