I was always making things with my hands, my mother used to call us a 'crafty family' (for all the right reasons you must understand).  I can remember sitting on the hard ash path down the garden, having been given a hammer, a brick and a jar of rusty, used and bent nails, and being instructed by my Uncle Charlie how to straighten them.  I was probably around 4 years old and for me this was heaven: looking back on it, I had a pile of raw materials, a suitable tool and, apparently, the ability to turn those raw materials into something better and useful (straight-ish and re-usable nails).  These were post-war years in rural England (around 1950) when 'recycling' was not a word in common use but 'thrift' was everywhere.  Yes we were a crafty family and a thrifty family - possibly out of simple need, but more likely out of an inborn drive to make things better, to improvise, and not to waste.

So, I've spent my life making things - sometimes to pay the bills, sometimes just for the fun of it.  Schools were (mostly) thoroughly enjoyable and inspiring - seven years learning to be an architect - a lifetime of grasping opportunities and adapting to their challenges.  Over that time I have gained a few skills from a variety of disciplines: woodwork, artwork, photography, music, needlework, even a bit of metalwork.  The result of all this is steady output of artifacts, some of which are shared elsewhere on this site.  Not a place to show myself off but a place to share a passion with you.  You may already have similar inclinations, or perhaps need a little encouragement to step into the endless world of making things.

Roy Stephenson