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I was educated at Manchester and Sussex Universities and subsequently worked in Computer Aided Design at Edinburgh University. In my present incarnation I have been running a cabinetmaking workshop at Gogar in Edinburgh for the past 25 years.In recent times I have participated in group exhibitions at the RSA, Edinburgh, the Mackintosh Hill House in Helensburgh, the SECC, Glasgow and the Scottish Gallery and National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh. I build furniture in native hardwoods especially, (but not exclusively), in Scottish oak. Other timbers I use include elm,ash , cherry and yew. I work mostly to commission and on a one-off basis; occasionally I produce exhibition pieces.My pieces are hands-on explorations of the relationships between design and making; in these I am guided by the established good practices and standards of workmanship of the cabinetmaking tradition. At the same time, and equally importantly, I try to be open to the insights and serendipity ("happy accidents") that the actual working of these beautiful timbers never ceases to provide. Furniture is not only to be looked at but touched, listened to, smelt and, above all, used. Since functionally-equivalent objects can be produced more cheaply by other means (at least on a short-term basis) I believe that only an environmentally responsible approach and an honest pursuit of beauty can legitimise the work of the applied artist.

© Chris Holmes 2006