Why I'm Watching These 15 British & Irish Artists (And You Should Too)
There are makers whose studios I find myself checking in on, whose Instagram posts make me pause mid-scroll, whose career trajectories I follow with genuine curiosity.
Not because I'm looking for the next big investment opportunity or trying to predict market trends. But something about their work, the way they handle their materials, the questions they're asking, the direction they're heading, genuinely excites me.
These fifteen British and Irish artists represent various stages of development, diverse approaches to making, and differing relationships with tradition and innovation. Some I've been watching for years, and I’ve connected with their voice. Others are newer discoveries whose recent work has caught my attention. All are creating something that is rooted in serious engagement with their chosen materials.
What’s drawn me to these artists? Beauty, materials, relationship, time. An appreciation for those who push materials beyond their perceived limits, some of whom find beauty in imperfection, others understand that the most compelling work emerges from the conversation between tradition and innovation. They are all different, and that’s ok.
I'm particularly drawn to wood as a medium; it’s a challenging material to elevate into fine art compared to ceramics or glass, yet these artists are doing precisely that.
This is simply my current fascination, the makers whose growth I'm enjoying watching unfold, at many different levels, for many different reasons.
Living With Their Work
Kinsley Byrne
I own several of his pieces and find myself constantly sharing his work with friends. There's something about these forms, they are what you’d expect to see cast in metal but here they are carved from wood instead. Based in Cornwall, making unique and limited edition objects from wood, plaster and bronze through direct carving, Kinsley’s work explores making furniture and symbolic artefacts relating to science and philosophy with metaphorical connections to existence. His grandfather and great-grandfather made furniture in Yorkshire, connecting him to a lineage of making that informs his contemporary practice.
Behind the Scenes
Olly Fathers
A studio visit revealed the exacting precision behind every piece, his attention to detail is what sets him apart. Born in 1987 and working from his Brixton studio, Olly graduated with a BA (Hons) in Fine Art from Wimbledon College of Art in 2010. His family link runs deep; his grandfather worked with veneers too, and he describes sourcing materials as a "treasure hunt" for unique wood species. Working with incredibly intricately cut wood veneers brought together using self-taught marquetry techniques, each artwork is planned digitally with every angle calculated down to the millimetre.
Eleanor Lakelin
From seeing Eleanor’s works in client collections to fair presentations to studio visits with the V&A, I've followed her work for years and remain in awe of her fearless approach to wood. A sculptor who works only with trees grown in Britain, felled due to decay, she was a LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize Finalist in 2022, received a QEST Scholarship in 2018, and won the Bespoke Category of the British Wood Awards. Her work is part of prestigious collections including the V&A Museum and MAD New York, transforming material into objects that invite both touch and reflection.
Darren Appiagyei
I'm captivated by the raw, organic energy Darren brings to his practice. After placing his work in Alex Dauley's room at WOW!house, that conviction only grew stronger. A London-based woodturner who graduated from UAL Camberwell College of The Arts in 2016, he was awarded the Cockpit Arts/Turners Award in 2017 and selected for the Craft Council Hothouse Programme in 2019. Highly inspired by Ghanaian wood carving, he embraces the intrinsic beauty of wood, knots, cracks, bark and grain, working with sustainably sourced materials from Shooters Hill woodland.
Treasured Moments
Laura Ellen Bacon
Laura’s sculpture at Treasure House Fair stopped me completely in my tracks and sent me down a research rabbit hole I'm still enjoying - I just received her latest catalogue this evening - what a treat! Working with willow and natural materials, she creates large-scale installations using traditional basketry techniques, transforming humble materials into monumental sculptures that fill entire rooms and challenge our perceptions of what basketry can achieve.
Artists in Evolution
Noel Donellan
I've watched Noel’s recent transition to ceramics with delight, and his rapid inclusion in Homo Faber and other major shows proves what I saw about his talent. With over twenty years in decorative arts across European monuments, medieval castles, and luxury hotels, this former mechanical design engineer studied at Institut Supérieur de Peinture Van Der Kelen-Logelain Brussels in 2003 and co-founded PIGMENTTI in 2016. Now working from his newly built home studio in rural Limerick, he's forging a new path, balancing sculptural ceramics with his mastery of decorative painting and gold leaf work.
Fair Discoveries
Three One Four studio by Alexander Webb
Encountering his work at multiple fairs, I'm consistently drawn to how Alexander manipulates form and material in ways that feel unexpected and inevitable. Born from the collaboration between Furniture and Product Designer Alexander Webb and manufacturing specialist Neil Walker of Penta Pattern & Model, the studio launched their debut collection at Salon Privé, creating luxury bespoke furniture using hand-painted acrylic, lacquer, polished bronze and resin.
Ane Christensen
Introduced through interior designer Shalini Misra and her Curio platform, seeing Ane at fairs year after year and watching how her practice has evolved and deepened has been one of the quiet joys of following contemporary craft. Working with metal in ways that push the medium into sculptural territory, she bridges traditional craft knowledge with contemporary artistic concerns.
Donald Baugh
His runners appeared in a Rachel Laxer project photoshoot, and I found more of his work through Vessel Gallery. Seeing those sculptural forms confirmed what I already knew: his work possesses a strength and confidence that's immediately commanding. Having studied Furniture Design at both Rycotewood College Oxford and Middlesex University in the 90s, he works closely with the Forestry Commission to source sustainable materials, specialising in simple line and colour to create elegant solutions for lighting, furniture and sculptural vessels.
Masters at Work
Dame Magdalene Odundo
One of the world's most esteemed ceramicists, born in Nairobi and trained across Kenya, Nigeria and England. She moved to England in 1971, beginning her pottery journey at ARU's Cambridge School of Art before completing her MA at the Royal College of Art in 1982. Her hand-built vessels with burnished surfaces of black and orange suggest the human body while transcending pure craft to enter the realm of sculpture. In November 2021, her 1986 ceramic piece Untitled sold for £378,000 at Sotheby's London (more than four times its high estimate), and she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2020 New Year Honours for Services to the Arts and Arts Education.
Tom Raffield
Renowned for his innovative steam-bending techniques and featured on Channel 4's Grand Designs in 2016, this Cornwall-based maker founded Tom Raffield Ltd. in 2008, inspired by his degree in 3D Sustainability and Design at Falmouth College of Arts. He invented a new technique for steam bending wood while at university, creating flowing, organic forms that feel both ancient and completely contemporary. Working with sustainably crafted wood in Cornwall, his practice spans from intimate lighting to architectural projects including the Royal Parks kiosks and installations at RHS Chelsea Flower Show.
Tom Vaughn of Object Studio
Leading a dynamic design team that combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary processes, Tom trained in Cabinet Making at London Guildhall University and Three-dimensional Design at Brighton University before completing his Masters in Contemporary Product Design at the Royal College of Art under Ron Arad. Now a visiting lecturer at the RCA and QEST Scholar, he investigates metal casting and associated crafts. Working with woods, metals and synthetics, Object Studio specialises in complex three-dimensional structures, with Tom's philosophy that "furniture pieces, however sculptural, are functional objects that are made to be used and enjoyed, beautiful to the eye and pleasing to the touch."
Ones to Watch
Aiveen Daly
Introduced through Taylor Howes, I've seen how Aiveen has created the most incredible furniture and installations in prime central London trophy homes. Born in Ireland and having studied Business & Russian at Trinity College Dublin, she founded her London studio in 2006 after working in marketing. Now one of very few leading specialist textile artists, she works with fabric manipulation, hand bead work, embroidery and leather crafts, bringing extraordinary sophistication to luxury interior projects.
Nina Casson McGarva
Again, I saw her work first at a client photoshoot many years ago, I've since placed a piece of hers at a Showhouse with a client. Coming from a famous making family, her grandparents Mick and Sheila Casson were potters, with Mick's work featured in museums including the V&A. Nina works in glass rather than ceramics. Trained at École Nationale du Verre Jean Monnet and the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, she's developed a unique process of kiln casting and hot working to create nature-inspired glass sculptures. Winner of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London Arts & Crafts Award in 2022, she demonstrates the same material sensitivity that runs through her family lineage.
Ash & Plumb
A typical Instagram introduction, follow, message, meet up at a fair, I've watched their work grow for years, and their focus is incredible, their attention on achieving perfection remarkable. I've since placed their work in a client project. The creative partnership of Barnaby Ash and Dru Plumb, working from their South Downs workshop, specialises in sculptural wooden vessels hand-turned from single pieces of sustainably sourced, unseasoned oak. With 2024 showcases at Collect Open, Eye of the Collector, and Homo Faber, plus Barnaby's QEST x Turners' Company scholarship in 2022, they're creating ancient forms with a contemporary, raw aesthetic.
What Connects Them All
These artists share something beyond technical skill or aesthetic appeal. They understand that in our increasingly digital world, there's profound value in the physical act of making, in the conversation between hand and material, in the knowledge passed down through generations. They're not just creating objects; they're preserving and evolving ways of thinking about materials, process, and the relationship between maker and made.
Watching their work develop, seeing them navigate the complex networks that determine cultural significance, witnessing their individual responses to the great questions of contemporary making, this is what excites me about collecting today.
They deserve your attention not because I say so, but because their work speaks for itself, if you take the time to listen.
And if you’re thinking about how to understand the value behind the art of collecting - head to this article below.
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See what I'm seeing: Follow along on Instagram and Threads for real-time thoughts from galleries, fairs, and artists' studios.