Liam Flynn
biography |
portfolio | artists listing
LIAM FLYNN
b. 1969, Ireland
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Crafts Council of Ireland, Castle Yard, Kilkenny, Ireland
Department of Foreign Affaires Collection, Ireland
Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick, Ireland
Royal Dublin Society, Ireland
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, PA
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Two man show, Carlin Gallery, Paris, France
Collect, V&A London
Turning Wood into Art 2006, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
2005 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL & New York, NY
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
Collect, V& A, London, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Turning Wood Into Art 2005, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Forty Shades of Green, Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Ireland
2004-06 Turned Wood - Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collect, V& A London, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
2004 Turning Wood into Art, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
Against The Grain, Grace Barrand Design Center, Surrey, England
Solo Exhibition, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Connecting with the Vessel, Platform Gallery, Lancashire, England
Solo Exhibition, Plateaux Gallery, London, England
2003-04 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Kenwood House Crafts, London, England
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, England
2002 Vessel, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
Solo Exhibition, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1999-2002 Chelsea Crafts Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, England
2001 Close Shave, Grace Barrand Design Center, Nutfield, Surrey, England
The National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
1989-2001 National Crafts Competition, First Prize Turned Wood Category (2001),
Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland
2000 Conran, Kunstlokaal 11, The Netherlands
Contemporary Decorative Arts, Sothebys, London, England
British Art Show, Lemon Street Gallery, Cornwall, England
Wood from the Trees, Whichcraft Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2004 500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books
Irish Arts Review, "20th Anniversary Edition", Vol. 21, Autumn
2002 Woodturning Magazine, Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
September, No. 115
1999 Bowl Turning Techniques Masterclass, by Tony Boase, Guild Master
Craftsmen Publications
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Liam Flynn lives and works in Co. Limerick, Ireland, where his family has been involved for generations in the joinery and woodworking tradition. Coming from this background, Flynn gradually got involved in woodturning and, for the past 14 years, has made it his occupation.
Flynn specializes in the making of "Hollow Form Vessels" and is recognized by his peers as one of the leading exponents in this field. He has been a regular exhibitor at the Royal Dublin Societies, National Crafts Competition and has won first prize in the Turned Wood Category on eight occasions, most recently in 2001. He was also awarded the California Gold medal in 1997 and the Crafts Council of Ireland Award in 1998.
He uses temperate hardwoods such as oak, ash and sycamore, though most of his recent work has been primarily in oak. He finds oak particularly appropriate for the type of work he does, where strength and resilience are of the main requirements, due to the fact that pieces are turned with quiet thin walls. All the work is turned while the wood is in its green, unseasoned state. What happens to the piece as it dries, releasing the tension in the fibers, causing the shape to shift, is an integral part of the process.
A lot of his pieces are known as "Inner Rimmed Vessels". These are sometimes carved and reshaped to create tension around the opening. Most of the oak pieces are ebonized to accentuate the very stark forms of the work. This is done using an iron staining technique. This is a process, which lends itself particularly well to oak, a wood that contains high tannin content. When the wood is coated with a solution of iron oxide, it reacts with the tannin in the oak, turning the wood black. This is not standard coloring process as it's exploiting a property that's already inherent in the wood. This, coupled with his desire to turn wood as thin as possible, displays a delicacy not normally associated with woodturning. These techniques have yielded fine pieces that sit in many prominent collections.
Quote:
"Liam Flynn's hollow wooden vessels, plain and dark, have an unarguable presence. They seem strangely ancient and worthy of respect. As his work progresses over the years the shapes become increasingly simple. Variety is not his thing; this is all about purity and an ongoing refinement of form".
By Eleanor Flegg, Crafts Council of Ireland
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
My work to date has been primarily based around the Vessel form. This I am continually striving to refine, making minuscule adjustments to a curve or a line that to me can have a significant impact on a piece. I relish the challenge of interpreting what the timber will do, how much movement is going to occur as the vessel dries out and what influence that will have on the final line of the piece.
I now work almost entirely in Irish Oak, a strong durable wood with a strong presence that seems to demand a similarly strong form. And, Oak is rich in tannins, which make it ideal for fuming and ebonizing, which in turn accentuate my stark forms. Having worked on these forms for years, I am now beginning to use some sparse decoration. My series of Inner Rimmed Vessels were designed to create an interest around the rim, to draw the viewer into the vessel. I have started to carve vertical flutes on some of my pieces. This is to complement, rather than take from the primordial sense of line in my work.
b. 1969, Ireland
SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Crafts Council of Ireland, Castle Yard, Kilkenny, Ireland
Department of Foreign Affaires Collection, Ireland
Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick, Ireland
Royal Dublin Society, Ireland
Shipley Art Gallery, Gateshead
Woodturning Center, Philadelphia, PA
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
2006 Turned & Sculptured Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Two man show, Carlin Gallery, Paris, France
Collect, V&A London
Turning Wood into Art 2006, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
2005 Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL & New York, NY
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Philadelphia, PA
Collect, V& A, London, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Turning Wood Into Art 2005, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Forty Shades of Green, Glucksman Gallery, Cork, Ireland
2004-06 Turned Wood - Small Treasures, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Collect, V& A London, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
2004 Turning Wood into Art, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, New York, NY
Against The Grain, Grace Barrand Design Center, Surrey, England
Solo Exhibition, Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
Connecting with the Vessel, Platform Gallery, Lancashire, England
Solo Exhibition, Plateaux Gallery, London, England
2003-04 Selected Works, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Turned Wood, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2003 Kenwood House Crafts, London, England
Collectors of Wood Art Forum, Santa Fe, NM
Sculpture, Objects, Functional Art Exposition, Chicago, IL
New Ashgate Gallery, Surrey, England
2002 Vessel, Sarah Myerscough Fine Art, London, England
Solo Exhibition, The Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland
1999-2002 Chelsea Crafts Fair, Chelsea Old Town Hall, London, England
2001 Close Shave, Grace Barrand Design Center, Nutfield, Surrey, England
The National Museum of Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
1989-2001 National Crafts Competition, First Prize Turned Wood Category (2001),
Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland
2000 Conran, Kunstlokaal 11, The Netherlands
Contemporary Decorative Arts, Sothebys, London, England
British Art Show, Lemon Street Gallery, Cornwall, England
Wood from the Trees, Whichcraft Gallery, Dublin, Ireland
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
2004 500 Wood Bowls, Lark Books
Irish Arts Review, "20th Anniversary Edition", Vol. 21, Autumn
2002 Woodturning Magazine, Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications,
September, No. 115
1999 Bowl Turning Techniques Masterclass, by Tony Boase, Guild Master
Craftsmen Publications
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Liam Flynn lives and works in Co. Limerick, Ireland, where his family has been involved for generations in the joinery and woodworking tradition. Coming from this background, Flynn gradually got involved in woodturning and, for the past 14 years, has made it his occupation.
Flynn specializes in the making of "Hollow Form Vessels" and is recognized by his peers as one of the leading exponents in this field. He has been a regular exhibitor at the Royal Dublin Societies, National Crafts Competition and has won first prize in the Turned Wood Category on eight occasions, most recently in 2001. He was also awarded the California Gold medal in 1997 and the Crafts Council of Ireland Award in 1998.
He uses temperate hardwoods such as oak, ash and sycamore, though most of his recent work has been primarily in oak. He finds oak particularly appropriate for the type of work he does, where strength and resilience are of the main requirements, due to the fact that pieces are turned with quiet thin walls. All the work is turned while the wood is in its green, unseasoned state. What happens to the piece as it dries, releasing the tension in the fibers, causing the shape to shift, is an integral part of the process.
A lot of his pieces are known as "Inner Rimmed Vessels". These are sometimes carved and reshaped to create tension around the opening. Most of the oak pieces are ebonized to accentuate the very stark forms of the work. This is done using an iron staining technique. This is a process, which lends itself particularly well to oak, a wood that contains high tannin content. When the wood is coated with a solution of iron oxide, it reacts with the tannin in the oak, turning the wood black. This is not standard coloring process as it's exploiting a property that's already inherent in the wood. This, coupled with his desire to turn wood as thin as possible, displays a delicacy not normally associated with woodturning. These techniques have yielded fine pieces that sit in many prominent collections.
Quote:
"Liam Flynn's hollow wooden vessels, plain and dark, have an unarguable presence. They seem strangely ancient and worthy of respect. As his work progresses over the years the shapes become increasingly simple. Variety is not his thing; this is all about purity and an ongoing refinement of form".
By Eleanor Flegg, Crafts Council of Ireland
ARTIST'S STATEMENT
My work to date has been primarily based around the Vessel form. This I am continually striving to refine, making minuscule adjustments to a curve or a line that to me can have a significant impact on a piece. I relish the challenge of interpreting what the timber will do, how much movement is going to occur as the vessel dries out and what influence that will have on the final line of the piece.
I now work almost entirely in Irish Oak, a strong durable wood with a strong presence that seems to demand a similarly strong form. And, Oak is rich in tannins, which make it ideal for fuming and ebonizing, which in turn accentuate my stark forms. Having worked on these forms for years, I am now beginning to use some sparse decoration. My series of Inner Rimmed Vessels were designed to create an interest around the rim, to draw the viewer into the vessel. I have started to carve vertical flutes on some of my pieces. This is to complement, rather than take from the primordial sense of line in my work.