Steve Howlett

Born in 1953, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, UK.
I have been working with wood professionally for over 40 years and, apart from two years training as a joiner in the early ‘70s, I am completely self taught. This is possibly why I have always followed my own artistic path throughout my career and continually felt to be an outsider in both the fine art and the crafts worlds.

Between 1975 and 1985 I worked as a furniture maker, restorer and turner whilst also experimenting in a small way with sculpture. From 1985 to 2005 I focused exclusively on turning wood but, unfortunately, after 2005, my career and production of work slowly came to a halt due to my late wife’s deteriorating health.

In 1989 I started experimenting, out of necessity, with turning unseasoned wood. I had seen a beautiful holly bowl by Richard Raffan which had been green turned and had distorted with perfect symmetry. It occurred to me that if it was possible to predict the distortion of a piece with such accuracy then a whole new world of design was opened up which was not possible if one only used seasoned timber. It was an exciting challenge and, at this point, I could see no one who was developing this idea in anything but the most mundane way.

I ceased ...

Self-taught.
I have no traditional art education or training. My learning came from gut instinct, friends, my eyes, always associating with creative people and always wanting to improve on anything I create.

A few of the exhibitions featuring my work.

2018 - Below the Heavens', Collection IV by Ini Archibong presented by Sé - London Design Festival 2018

2018 - Below the Heavens', Collection IV by Ini Archibong presented by Sé - Milan Design Week 2018

2014/15 - "Unlocking the Spirit" — a retrospective of turned wood sculpture by Steve Howlett - Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, UK

2006 - "Welsh Artist of the Year" - St David's Hall, Cardiff, UK (catalogue)

2005 - "new studio:new work" - 54 The Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK - SOLO

2005 - "Modern Pots: The Lisa Sainsbury Ceramic Collection" - Dulwich Picture Gallery, Dulwich, London, UK (catalogue)

2002 - "sculpture and silk" - 54 The Gallery, Mayfair, London, UK - SOLO

2002 - "Interventions in Nature", Landscape Works from the Derek Williams Collection - Gallery in the Garden, Garden of Wales, Carmarthenshire, UK

2001 - "Modern Pots - Hans Coper, Lucie Rie & their contemporaries. The Lisa Sainsbury Collection" - Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, UEA, Norwich, UK (catalogue)

2000 - "Sculptural Forms in Wood" - Plateaux Gallery, London, UK - SOLO

2000 - "Aur”, Past Gold Medal Winners - Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales, Llanelli, UK (catalogue)

1997 - "Vess...