The Piece As with all of Tom's boxes, this teak bowl was salvaged from a charity shop and started life with no decoration. He turned it first to correct any warping and then carved his own design, one of a kind. He has explored variations on themes in geometry, but never repeats a pattern. This particular design resembles fish scales. Note the delicate rosette in the lid with overlapping petals. Measures 8 inches across and 4 inches deep. The Carver Tom Samuel is a living carver, classically trained, at the height of his profession, with 40 years' experience of both restoring and creating furniture. He has carved his pieces by hand in his workshop in Battersea, South London, using Victorian tools and traditional methods. This is a highly skilled and painstaking process 'like watching paint dry' to an outsider, as every chisel-mark is an aesthetic decision and also a chance to mess up the pattern. He has branched out into tableware, specifically breadboards, dishes, plates, boxes and fruit / salad bowls, which display a dizzying array of geometric designs. A recent series of bowls feature the theme of a gingko leaf, arranged in a formation, with each bowl being a unique variation. Others are inspired by Roman architectural patterns such as the Vitruvian scroll or shells. His trademark is the 'pip', or bead, which are all individually carved and sanded with his own custom-made drill bits. Achievements Tom's work has been endorsed and sold by Lennox Cato of the Antiques Road Show. It has been exhibited at London Craft Week, The Art Workers' Guild, The National Trust's Heritage Open Days Festival, The Worshipful Company of Turners Show, Wandsworth Artists' Open House Weekends, Wandsworth Arts Fringe, and The Antique Breadboard Museum where he is the 'Resident Carver'. Images of his pieces have also appeared in Time Out, The Fourtean Times, Woodworking Crafts Magazine and in Vintage Breadboards, the first ever book about breadboards. References https://www.tomsamuel.co.uk/ M. Neave, 'Vintage Breadboards', (2019), by Prospect Books |