DARREN APPIAGYEI

The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe

London-based woodturner and artist Darren Appiagyei is in a phase of creative evolution. Or, as he puts it with a smile, 'working on my third album'. Having achieved considerable success with his asymmetrical, appealingly raw banksia nut vessels (his first album), he decided in recent years to stop making them, for environmental reasons. 'You can only source banksia from Australia,' explains Darren.

'I want to have a sustainable practice, and the amount of airmiles just didn't sit right with me.' While the reasons might be justified, it was a brave move. The banksia pieces were carving out a reputation for Darren in a highly competitive space, having been acquired for the permanent collections of the Crafts Council and the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), and shown in leading exhibitions in London, New York and Venice. They were also sold through top craft galleries, The New Craftsmen in London and J. Lohmann in New York. But for Darren it was a necessary decision, not just because of his convictions, but to allow him to develop as an artist and stay motivated to make.

The work Darren has produced since has seen him return to wood proper (banksia is a seed pod), creating vessels from blocks of native woods discarded by tree surgeons, including oak, cherry, ash, horse chestnut and beech.

To achieve the raw, textural decoration he seeks - inspired by the wood carvings of his Ghanaian heritage Darren scorches the wood with tiny burn marks using a handheld pyrography tool. It's a labour-intensive process that he describes as 'similar to pointillism in painting".