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© Sylvain Deleu
© Jeremy Johns
© Alun Callender Courtesy of Cockpit Arts
© Alun Callender Courtesy of Cockpit Arts
© Jeremy Johns

Eleanor Lakelin

  • Wood sculptor
  • London, United Kingdom
  • Master Artisan
Eleanor Lakelin Wood sculptor
© Ester Segarra

Sculpting nature's beautiful chaos

  • • Eleanor uses British wood including ash and horse chestnut
  • • She has made work from long-buried ‘bog oak’ dating back 7,000 years
  • • Her techniques aim to bring out the natural beauty of wood

Eleanor Lakelin started making wooden objects as a child, while growing up on a farm in a small Welsh village. She initially became an English teacher, a profession that took her all over the world. However, change arrived when she took two short courses in plastering and woodwork to help her renovate her house. “As soon as I did this woodwork course I knew I had to completely change my life,” she says. “It just made sense.” She retrained as a cabinetmaker and, after many years making furniture, moved towards woodturning sculptural forms. She now makes vessels that harness the natural characteristics and deformities in wood, particularly burrs – growths occurring from disease or stress.

Read the full interview

Works

  • © Ester Segarra
  • © Ester Segarra
  • © Ester Segarra
  • © Stephen Brayne
  • © Stephen Brayne
Photo: © Ester Segarra
Echoes of Amphora: 4/18

This sculpture made of horse chestnut burr was turned on a lathe, hollowed, sand-blasted and bleached. Part of the Echoes of Amphora series, it represents the tension between two perceptions or dimensions of time and beauty. On the one hand, there is the scale of human civilisation and culture, as well as the search for ultimate formal perfection, refinement and balance; on the other hand, there is the scale of geological and organic evolution, chaotic, vital, imperfect, partial, surging and disrupting the order.

Height 40 cm
Length 40 cm
Width 40 cm

Photo: © Ester Segarra
Echoes of Amphora: I/18 and 2/18

These two sculptures made of horse chestnut burr were turned on a lathe, hollowed, sand-blasted and bleached. Part of the Echoes of Amphora series, they represent the tension between two perceptions or dimensions of time and beauty. On the one hand, there is the scale of human civilisation and culture, as well as the search for ultimate formal perfection, refinement and balance; on the other hand, there is the scale of geological and organic evolution, chaotic, vital, imperfect, partial, surging and disrupting the order.

Height 41 cm
Length 43 cm
Width 43 cm
Height 46 cm
Length 43 cm
Width 43 cm

Photo: © Ester Segarra
Ferrous Shift I

Eleanor has always been fascinated by landscapes and the way natural elements work on materials, breaking them down, softening edges, rounding and fragmenting the lines. Using this inspiration in her work, she builds up layers of texture by turning, carving and sandblasting the wood surface to bring out the hidden patterns and lines.

Height 40 cm
Length 40 cm
Width 25 cm

Photo: © Stephen Brayne
Voided Vessel IV

Fascinated by wood as a living, breathing material with a history and struggles centuries beyond our own, Eleanor has turned and sandblasted this horse chestnut burr piece, removing the bark to reveal its hidden secrets and ethereal landscapes. The wood has been scorched and meticulously hand-worked to bring out different lustres and achieve an alabaster-like smoothness.

Height 32 cm
Length 32 cm
Width 21 cm

Photo: © Stephen Brayne
Rising Rhythm

Drawing on her fascination with landscapes and the way natural elements such as wind and water shape them, Eleanor has turned and sandblasted this piece of sycamore to reveal its underlying fibres and patterns. The resulting sculpture evokes natural movement – wind, sand, rhythm and the flow of time.

Height 12 cm
Length 30 cm
Width 30 cm

Find Eleanor Lakelin in the itinerary

London: a day around the Thames through the eyes of a craft expert
10 locations
While spending time in London, come and discover the recommendations of independent curator and craft expert Brian Kennedy. This itinerary will guide you through his selection of 10 craftspeople and galleries around the capital.
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