Mary Crabb

"Materials inspire me. I am drawn by a desire to touch and then need to make. Each material has its own personality and qualities. I like both natural and man made materials. As a child I visited many industrial sites, especially working slate quarries in North Wales, which has led me to be interested in industry and how it becomes part of a natural landscape, but also how nature reclaims the landscape when man has left.

I have a particular liking for wire and have made a range of ‘pods’ of different sizes, using telephone wire and cane. I work using a twining technique starting with a fine enamelled copper wire. They are very rigid and the construction is strong. The wire gives a very smooth, slightly undulating surface. All the pods are very small and can be held in one hand. Working away from traditional functional design and adapting techniques, appeals to me. Most recently I have been developing this technique to work with copper rods and wire, using the qualities of copper and the way it ages as a feature." - Mary Crabb

To see more of her work go to her website.