I came to sculpting by a rather unconventional route. I always loved making things, whether it was pom-poms or cards or small models, but I was encouraged to do music as a hobby rather than art. And as I trained to be a lawyer, anything creative was only something to do if I ever had any free time (which didn't happen very often).
I ended up working as a lawyer for 15 years, but never felt that it was a good fit. I didn't know what I wanted to do instead, so I trained to be a life coach and went on a leadership course, and I finally took the plunge in June 2009 and left my job.
I treated myself to a 6 month mini-retirement where I could breath and work out what was next. And when I had the time, energy and space, I decided to try my hand at sculpting again - something I hadn't done for about 10 years. And before I knew it, all these wee creatures started pouring out - it was as though they had been waiting for me to catch up with them!
And so Quernus Crafts was born in August 2009, and I have literally made thousands of creatures since then. It's a much happier way to make a living than being a lawyer, although I've never worked so hard in my life.
You mentioned you was encouraged to do music instead of art. Why did you choose to build a career in art rather than music after quitting your profession as a lawyer?
I have played the piano since I was about 6, and then the flute from 12. I also sing, and I was President of the Music Society during the whole time I was at university in Dundee. I love classical music, and Renaissance choral music in particular. But a career in music never seemed much of an option - whilst I enjoyed it, and I was relatively good at it (I was principal flautist of the Dundee Symphony Orchestra for 6 years, gave a number of piano recitals and started up an early music choir), I was never good enough to make a living at it, and it never really occurred to me to pursue it professionally.
But I didn't intend to build a career in art either! When I gave up my job as a lawyer, I was more interested in having fun after many years of not being happy, and I wasn't really thinking about making a career out of it, although almost from the beginning there was interest in what I was doing.
Not long after I left my job, I became involved with UK Handmade, and thought that if I was going to follow a creative career, it would be in an administrative role. I came on board as a volunteer to help them with business development, and was a director for a while. But after about 6 months or so, it dawned on me that there was a pretty big demand for my work as Quernus, and so I decided to focus much more on my own business.
I do still write for UK Handmade, and I've been running a fortnightly series called "The Road Less Travelled" for the past 18 months with artists and makers who have decided to give up their day job to follow their dream. Sound familiar?!
Why did you choose to sculpt living creatures and not something inanimate? Did you sculpt them in your earlier life or did you love for sculpturing creatures come later on?I've never really thought about why I sculpt creatures - it's just what I do! When I was younger, I used to play with air-drying clay, and I think one of my earliest creations were some seals that I made when I was about 8. Looking back now, I can see that I wanted them to interact with their environment, something I love doing now, particularly in collaborations with other artists.
I dabbled on and off with clay, along with many other crafts, over the years. I didn't make a great many animal sculptures, though, compared to what I make now. About 12 years ago, I made a frieze for my niece, Aileen, and not long after, I also made all the wedding favours for my own wedding (I have since divorced) - I only made 30 of them at the time, but I remember being so fed up with them that I didn't touch clay again until I left law in 2009!
It's so strange that I have now made thousands and never get bored of them. To me, the wee creatures are completely alive, and each one has its own unique personality and charm. They choose me, rather than me choosing them, if that makes sense. Perhaps one day I'll try some other sculpting disciplines, but for now, I am definitely called to make wee creatures!
Why did you choose to become a lawyer after growing up with such a creative background? Also what prompted your decision to quit being a lawyer after 15 years?
How I ended up as a lawyer was really due to teenage rebellion than anything else! I was always pretty bright at school and so was encourage to have a profession, rather than do anything creative.
My dad was a surgeon, my sister is a doctor, but I didn't want to go down the medical route, and since I was good at English and was a fan of LA Law, I thought law would be the way to go! But I knew on the first day of my traineeship that this wasn't the profession for me. However, I thought back then that I couldn't waste the five years I'd spent studying, so I kept going with it, and I made the best job that I could of it.
Over the years, I made a number of attempts to escape, but never quite managed it, and let's face it, the money did make life more bearable. I also enjoyed the intellectual challenge of it, but in the end, I finally faced up to the fact that I really didn't want to be a lawyer, and even though I didn't know what I was going to do next, I handed in my notice and saved up for a six month mini retirement to work out what was next. I have never regretted my decision, and now it feels that being a lawyer happened to someone else!
The transition from lawyer to artisan was remarkably easy, although in the early months after I left my job, I still thought that if I was going to be in creative industry, it would be in a more administrative or managerial role. Not long after I left my job, I began sculpting again, and just had so much fun with it - I loved experimenting with colours, designs and techniques, and I really just pleased myself!
How was Quernus Craft born? Did you have a set plan for Quernus Crafts when you started or did you just decide you'd try to sell something and jump in with both feet?
As for how Quernus began, whenever I start something new, I tend to be very thorough and organised, so from the beginning, I set up Quernus as a proper business (branding, business cards, blog/website, etc), and virtually all of what I put in place in those early days is still in place now. As for the name, 'Quernus' is a play on the Latin word for 'oak' (quercus) because I love oak trees.
After a couple of months, I decided to dip a toe with selling the wee creatures, and so I set up shops on Folksy and Etsy, and started going to craft fairs. I certainly sold a lot at craft fairs, and online sales were beginning to trickle in, but in many respects, Quernus Crafts was still pretty much a hobby for me at that point - I was having fun with it, but I still felt that my main income would come from other sources.
I felt instantly at home with the crafting community, much more so than I ever did with my legal colleagues, or even in the musical world. Something clicked - I felt like I'd come home.
You mentioned you worked for UK Handmade but had to focused more on Quernus Crafts after 6 months. How did your sales improve so quickly?
I joined UK Handmade in February 2010 as a volunteer and threw myself into that wholeheartedly as I very much believed (and still believe) in their ethos of supporting and promoting artists and makers in the UK. I managed to secure funding for business development and worked on a number of new initiatives with the other directors. For six months or so, I was probably devoting at least 20-30 hours a week on UK Handmade work, still as a volunteer, and the rest of the time on Quernus.
Quernus sales were ticking over, and by this time, I was getting a fair number of commission work - commissions have always been a large part of the work I do. After above 6 months, I realised that I had to find a way of making money, and so I decided to focus full-time on Quernus (although I still write for UK Handmade). It was then that sales really started to improve, and I began to make enough money to live on for the first time. I've never really had a plan for Quernus, other than to have fun doing what I love, and sharing that with others. So far, it's worked pretty well!
Your creatures are very stylized. Is this style something that you developed naturally overtime or was you influenced by something?One thing that has surprised and delighted me is that the wee creatures have a very recognisable style to them that was completely unintended. It doesn't seem to matter what creature it is, you can tell it's a Quernus creature! The wee creatures appear as they want to - it's hard to explain, but I feel that I am giving shape to forms and designs that want to be made, and so sometimes I feel that my input is quite minimal, and I'm just following instructions!
Usually, a fully formed design or idea will pop into my mind from who-knows-where, and for me, that creature is already alive - it's just a question of when I'm going to make it. I don't sketch out designs, or make prototypes - most of my new designs arrive fully formed, although sometimes, like the mice, they will evolve into new designs or styles over time. Other designs, like the Snails, have remained pretty much the same from the first one I made. I'm constantly amazed at how expressive the wee creatures are - I usually have a couple of mice sitting around my work station, and they really look as though they could talk!
As well as my Quernus creatures, I do a lot of realistic pet sculptures as commissions. For these, I am good at translating a 2D image, like a photograph, into 3D - somehow my mind and hands can fill in the blanks and I know how the animal should look in model form. And for all creatures, attention to detail is really important for me - it was always something I was good at as a lawyer, so I'm glad that skill has translated into something so much more fun and useful!
Do you have any favourite pieces or is each one special and unique in it's own way?
It's impossible to choose a favourite wee creature - that would be like choosing a favourite child! Each one is my favourite as they are born.
Do you have any further comments?
I'd like to say a huge thank you to all the people out there who have supported me since I started, and who are as much in love with the wee creatures as I am - it really makes it all worthwhile. The most important thing in this world is not to take life too seriously, and I think the wee creatures help to remind us of that.
