The Bite Magazine - Summer 2019 - Issue 25

bite artist “The versatility of leather is enticing. Every hide is unique, I am forever experimenting to discover what I can meticulously craft in my own personal way, creating specimens I wish existed…” - Fflur Owen Her very first leather piece was a col- lection of leather clogs that she made in collaboration with a clog maker in North Wales called Trevor Owen. “He helped me create a collection of platform clogs for my catwalk show at Graduate Fashion Week.” Today, her pieces are made by fusing the flexibility of leather with hand-contoured clay or carved felled wood to evoke her own memories. “In the absence of any templates, my ideas take shape in the coordinated activities of eyes, ears, hands and tools.” Examples of these works include Spec- imen No. 01 which consists of Italian leather and Welsh holly wood and is carved and fused with leather discs. One of my favourite pieces is Specimen No. 010, an extremely fascinating correlation of Italian leather and Welsh holly wood carved into a dark abstract piece that would have you admiring it for hours on end, trying to decipher what it is and what it means. It is carved in wood, and then fused with moulded leather spirals and punched discs. Like a fancy pebble on the beach, Spec- imen No. 022 entitled ‘Cragen’ is made entirely of leather but has the effects of a shiny black stone with a scattered white effect. It is created using wet hand moulded leather and decorated with leather discs. Another interesting piece is Specimen No. 06, a vase-like piece with curved layers on one side and then a smooth surface on the other. It is made by fusing the wood with the clay and then decorating it with leather. Fflur describes her work as fluid and instinctive, with one piece often leading to the next, ensuring a strong visual connection between the specimens. “The relationship between the ambiguous forms is also significant, and the speci- mens are often arranged in a small group. I find it fascinating how the sense of a piece can alter depending on it’s positing and/or groupings.” Working with organic materials, she combines traditional cord- wainer techniques with modern day tools to build forms and patterns that, she says, embodies an alien beauty. “Within the making process, I respond, develop and adapt my techniques depending on the shape or form. One individual hand-sculptured piece may comprise of thousands of leather pieces meticulously placed to form complex textured patterns. This repetitive process is slow and mediative, taking weeks to complete a single piece.” With the versa- tility of leather enticing and every hide unique, Fflur is forever experimenting to discover what she can meticulously craft in her own personal way, creating sculp- tural specimens she wished ‘existed’. Whilst she doesn’t intentionally try to send out a message in her work, she did itinerate that most of the pieces she cre- ates are based on childhood memories. She likes discovering similar specimens and objects in nature, which she admits can be quite nostalgic in a way. “But be- cause all my pieces are based on nature, I try to source my materials in the most sustainable way.” The wood she uses in some of her pieces is mostly naturally felled that she source and seasons on her family’s land in North Wales. What Fflur enjoys the most when making a new piece of work is seeing what others see in them. “Because the pieces are so personal to me, it’s wonderful when others are reminded of similar nostalgic memories. I also love it when children come into my studio during Open Stu- dios at Cockpit Arts. Their imaginations are incredible, and they see all kinds of different things in my work.” She went on to say that since the forms are so abstract, many people can appreciate them for different reasons, thus bringing people together in their joy of her work. You can tell Fflur is very devoted to her work, especially when she says, “just having time to work on my own collec- tion makes me happy, it’s where I relax.” Working as a Specialist Accessories and 3D Technician at the London College of Fashion as well, every moment is precious to her. “This summer, I’m going to Australia to explore new textures and discover new wildlife to expand my body of work. It will be an incredible expe- rience, but I’m a bit nervous at the fact that I’ll be away from my studio and not making [anything] for a length of time.” Whilst she doesn’t have a particular favourite piece as such, each one is classed as a memory from her childhood of discovering creatures and textures. “I feel strangely protective over the smaller sculptured specimens. I find it more difficult to part with the smaller items,” she admitted. She also revealed there are many creative art pieces by another artist she wished she had made which are mostly made by makers working in dif- ferent disciplines. “I love learning about new crafts and visiting other makers in their studios or workshops; seeing all their tools and how they use them.” In a creative art industry that requires a lot of work and perseverance, Fflur wished there was more support for the makers and creatives. “I’ve been very for- tunate to gain the Leathersellers Scholar- ship at Cockpit Arts to help me set up my own studio. I have three other part-time jobs to fund my studio work and pay the rent. It’s not easy. I can’t remember having a day off as such, not working, but I’m lucky as I love what I do.” Securing the scholarship for three years straight from 2015 to 2017, Fflur also won second prize in the Jill Humphrey Springboard and Agored Art Prize in 2017 and 2018. The advice Fflur would give to aspiring creative artists is, “accept advice and feedback, but follow your heart and your gut feeling.” For the future, the artist is currently in discussions with a few galleries to display her work at exhibi- tions, as well as the desire to show new creations. We hope this will happen soon as Fflur’s work is exceptional, interesting and absolutely intriguing. www.fflurowen.com