Hello!
I’m Gav Blackwell, an artist and maker based in North Wales. My work blurs the boundaries between fine art, craft and design. Drawing inspiration from architecture, the natural world and current affairs, I combine digital design processes with traditional drawing and painting to create playful, handcrafted pieces that reflect a lifelong love of making and surface pattern.
I am also a qualified art and design teacher and lecturer with twenty years of experience working across secondary and FE settings. Alongside my own practice, I offer a range of bespoke workshop options to schools, community groups and other organisations with the aim of fostering confidence, curiosity and creativity.
This little wooden house is part of an ongoing series exploring the relationship between drawing, photography and digital making. Using photographs alongside drawings taken from my old sketchbooks, I combine the imagery digitally before laser engraving it onto hand painted Scandinavian birch plywood. The process allows me to bring together my traditional studio practice with contemporary digital technology, creating objects that sit somewhere between sculpture, printmaking and architectural model making.
The engraved imagery wraps around the building, revealing fragments of windows, staircases, historical art pieces, textures and patterns. No two houses are ever the same, every piece has its own composition, colour palette and character. Window details include deep square frames and fine cut internal banding applied after assembly.
Designed as a small sculptural object, this house can be displayed on a shelf, desk or mantelpiece where its details can be appreciated from every angle. It is equally at home in a contemporary interior, a collection of art objects or as a gift for someone who appreciates handmade design.
Details
13cm x 6cm x 6cm
Original artwork by Gavin Blackwell
Hand painted Scandinavian birch plywood
Precision laser cut and engraved
One of a kind
Handmade in my North Wales studio
Please note that as each piece is handmade from natural wood, subtle variations in grain, colour and engraved finish are part of its unique character.
Featured Products
This set of three little wooden houses was created to explore the relationship between drawing, photography and digital making. Using drawings and lino prints taken from my old sketchbooks, I combined the imagery digitally before laser engraving it onto hand painted Scandinavian birch plywood. The process allows me to bring together my traditional studio practice with contemporary digital technology, creating objects that sit somewhere between sculpture, printmaking and architectural model making.
The engraved imagery wraps around the buildings and is offset by colour blocking in a range of hues. Two of these houses sit on stilts whilst the third sits lower down on its base.
Designed as a small sculptural group, these houses can be displayed on a shelf, desk or mantelpiece where the details can be appreciated from every angle. It is equally at home in a contemporary interior, amongst a collection of art objects or as a gift for someone who appreciates handmade design.
Details
Tall house 29cm x 6cm x 6cm
Medium house 27cm x 6cm x 6cm
Small house 15cm x 6cm x 6cm
Original artwork by Gavin Blackwell
Hand painted Scandinavian birch plywood
Precision laser cut and engraved
One of a kind
Handmade in my North Wales studio
Please note that as each piece is handmade from natural wood, subtle variations in grain, colour and engraved finish are part of its unique character.
Bring lasting beauty into your home with this handcrafted wooden flower arrangement, a sustainable and contemporary alternative to fresh blooms. Each flower is completely unique, created from sustainably sourced 1.5mm Finnish birch plywood and finished with acrylic paint and transfer prints taken from my original drawings and pattern work. A protective coat of transparent matte varnish enhances the natural wood grain, giving each stem a subtle, timeless finish.
The arrangement features seven handcrafted flowers and five foliage stems, all arranged in a custom-made wooden pot complete with biodegradable floral foam and a flower grate to hold each stem securely in place. This item is ready to display right from the box.
Each arrangement will arrive in a stylish biodegradable cardboard presentation tube (three colours to choose from) and be wrapped securely in acid free tissue paper, making it a perfect gift for any occasion.
Dimensions:
Pot: 4cm × 4cm × 9cm
Overall height: approx. 28cm
Width: approx. 9–12cm
