STYLE | Interview
Watul work
More recently Jason has moved onto his ‘Watul’ (old English spelling) range which is inspired by the ancient practice of weaving coppiced round- wood timber into panels for hurdle fencing or wattle and daub buildings.
extra to the observer if they take the time to consider my work beyond its initial aesthetic impact.”
Jason has incorporated the ‘Watul’ panels into several pieces including bedside tables, wardrobe and kitchen doors as well as round and square tables. He says that “as a decorative element it is highly adaptable whilst the timber choice can have a huge effect on its appearance from traditional to contemporary, making it very versatile for many projects and commissions.”
Venus Lamp Watul table
“I grew up on the Island, coppicing local woodlands with my dad who ran conservation groups for the BTCV (British Trust for Conservation Volunteers). I literally grew up making hurdles and these pieces are my fine furniture interpretation of that inspiration.”
He is particularly pleased with his (almost) impossible ‘no end and no beginning’ weave, which forms a stunning surround for his ‘Watul’ mirror.
Impossibility also plays a part in Jason’s ‘Venus’ Lamp which is based around the ancient Greek symbol for the goddess of love. With four identical supports, the sides are just 6mm thick, but the cable is nowhere to be seen. In fact, it’s buried within one of the four sides, but you would never know.
to set up on his own, he was delighted to win the Homes and Gardens’ Young Designer of the Year accolade, as well as the Judges Award for that year, which gave him a big boost.
Jason’s primary concern was how to build on that success to promote himself, which led him to try applying for an exhibition he’d visited previously. However, the lady who ran the Celebration of Craftsmanship and Design exhibition was retiring and ending the event. With youthful exuberance Jason thought, “I can do that!”
“I thought it would balance out in a year or two to enable me to make my own work and run the exhibition but now, ten years later, it finally does in the way I’d hoped,” he laughs.
Jason now directs the ten day exhibition each August at Thirlestaine Long Gallery in Cheltenham. His wife Julie is the main reason for the eventual time balance as she now co- ordinates the exhibition whilst islander Simon Avery curates the 75 exhibitors and around 300 exhibits each year.
It is the largest exhibition in the country for artisan furniture designer- makers and the quality is extremely high with exhibitors required to bring only new work each year to ensure it is always fresh and current.
Venus lamp Watul mirror
The nautical inspiration for this piece is clear but it is accentuated by his choice of hand dyed ripple Sycamore that helps the coloured rings to almost move in their waves of blue as they graduate through to the ‘sandy shore’ of the bleached sycamore frame.
“I like that sort of impossibility,” explains Jason. “I enjoy giving a bit
“The piece changes depending on the angle you look at it,” says Jason. “Sometimes you see a very straight sided shape whilst from another angle you see a more curvaceous form. To me, a tube carrying the cable up the centre would detract from this aesthetic and so I needed to find another way.”
How it all began…
After leaving school in 2003, Jason completed a degree in Furniture before working in Dorset between 2006 and 2008, whilst continuing to make his own pieces when he could. Returning to the Island in early 2009
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styleofwight.co.uk Thirlestaine Ling Gallery, Cheltenham
See some of Jason’s unique pieces upstairs at Caffe Isola in Newport’s Upper St James’ Street, or visit
www.jasonheap.com
“It’s the little subtle details you don’t get on the high street that sets the work of our exhibitors apart. Hidden drawers, beautiful grain detail and the stories behind each piece. Everything has been considered to within an inch of its life,” concludes Jason, who has new exciting work in the pipeline himself.
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