Roger Bennett considers Liam Flynn’s dedication to the art of woodturning as his retrospective at the Hunt Museum, Limerick, marks the finale to the year of craft
Liam Flynn’s vessels are sculptural, tactile, understated. His shapes are subtle – round but not circular, delicately undulating, dynamic. We are intrigued by the detailing: rhythmic carvings, double rims. And by the mystery inside his enclosed forms, containers of darkness. The craft of woodturning has evolved at an astonishing pace since the middle of the twentieth century, and its status is now firmly established with gallerists, collectors and curators. Liam Flynn is one of the most respected artists in the field internationally. Still in his early forties, his achievements are hugely impressive. His work is in the permanent collections of the V & A, the National Museum, the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge; he has won the California Gold Medal in the RDS National Crafts Competition, and the woodturning prize on eight occasions. He was the inaugural winner of the Crafts Council’s Bursary in 2005. One of his vessels features on a 2011 Year of Craft postage stamp.
Stephanie McBride talks to Mike Bunn about the craft of old school photography and his plans to establish an academy for photographers
Losing faith in the early success of her work led Miseon Lee on a journey of self-discovery, both in artistic terms and geographically, writes James Hanley