Both turning raw natural materials into pieces that juxtapose delicacy and solidity, Stephen O’Briain and Michelle Byrne work with wood and stone, r
espectively, in their adjacent workshops.’s furniture workroom. A couple brought together by their shared creative spirit, Michelle and Stephen have been mastering their respective crafts for decades, and though their disciplines may differ, there are many parallels to be drawn in the dualities of their work.
Having long been enamoured with maps as a 2D artform, Michelle looks upon these patterns as a shared language we all speak, an interest in our surrounding environment that occupies a space in our collective consciousness. Reversing the process of headstone masonry, Michelle covers stone with rubber, carves out the intricate detailing with a scalpel, and uses a sandblaster to chisel deep.
Trained as a fine art painter, Stephen decided to veer away from this solitary lifestyle towards cabinetry: the artform’s interactive qualities and constrained freedom appealed to him endlessly. From growing up watching his “gifted amateur” grandfather building furniture by hand, to seeing his mother take up cabinetry in her mid-fifties, Stephen approaches his craft with skilful precision and artistic experimentation.
“It’s so relaxing to look out and see the change in the light in this constantly evolving environment. I don’t think I would be able to work in an enclosed space now. We’re so lucky with this location; we’re up quite high, and that sense of space offers a feeling of freedom; we’re never boxed in.”
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