Colin Purdy. Wood Turner, Metal worker & Designer
I have always been a maker in many materials. The main creative making I do at present, is in wood turning. It is the variety and inherent beauty of wood, its grain and bark which appeals to me. I have been wood turning for 30 years and keep discovering new ways to display these qualities.
I rescue wood from tree surgeons and people’s wood piles and see what qualities I can reveal from inside the wood. I rarely use new wood and I also like to turn wood while it is green so that I can wait as it dries out to see how it changes its shape and texture.
I also work in metal, I started out as an engineer then I taught metalwork, woodwork and design for many years. I am particularly keen to develop new tools for making and wood turning- I am always experimenting with new ways of working and often my approach challenges traditional methods. These tools often mean using the metalwork lathe to make or improve standard tools.
With my experience in guiding Sixth formers in their A level projects as well as converting a cow shed into a house, I am always ready to undertake commissions in both wood and metal.

Engineering Apprenticeship 1963 – 1966.
Rycotewood College 1967-8
Sheffield city College of Education1968 -1971
Teaching at Bridgnorth Grammar School 1971 – 1996
Self-employed designer/ maker 1996-Present.