Andrew Davidson - Wonderful Wood Engravings

In an earlier post we mentioned meeting designer, illustrator and wood engraver Andrew Davidson at a Lewis and Wood event. We are totally in awe of Andrews' work and the skill it takes to painstaking cut his designs into blocks of wood. So we thought we would share more about Andrew's talent and some images of his work for Lewis and Wood.

Andrew Davidson in his tree top studio

Andrew Davidson

A graduate of the Royal College of Art, Andrew has spent 30 years honing his skill as an illustrator and wood engraver.

He works from a tree top studio in rural Gloucestershire where he hand-engraves his designs into English Boxwood, a slow-growing tree which allows an extraordinary level of detail. 

He then uses an 1859 Albion hand press to print the wood block designs onto paper.

Working with Lewis and Wood, the small print designs are enlarged and worked into a pattern repeat which transforms the wood engraving into a large-scale fabric pattern.

The pattern is transferred onto cotton and linen fabrics using old fashioned flat bed silk-screen machines, which gives the final textiles a sharpness of image and a rare authenticity and charm.

Below we showcase three of the Lewis and Wood fabrics depicting the charm of English country life for which Andrew is renowned - 'Deer park', ‘Royal Oak’ and ‘Lamorna Cove’.

Deer park

This charming design creates a stunning fabric in three rustic colourways
 - rouge, black, and forest green -

Deer Park - Rouge

Deer Park - Black

Deer Park - Forest Green

Deer Park - Black, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood

Curtains in Deer Park - Rouge, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood

Royal Oak

Featuring the landmark spire of St Mary's Church in Tetbury and named after the fugitive King Charles II taking refuge in an oak tree, this pastoral print is perhaps the most ambitious fabric in the collection. Printed on Scottish linen union, with washes of colour to give two seasonal variations in a classic English landscape - Spring and Summer. 

Royal oak - Spring

Curtains in Royal oak - Spring, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood   

In Royal oak - Summer, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood      

Cushions in Royal oak - Spring, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood   

Lamorna Cove

This stunning underwater toile shows a diver's eye view of seals, fish and hermit crabs set in swirling frames of bubbles and seaweed. Printed on a crunchy cotton sailcloth, Lamorna comes in five chalky seaside colours and is suitable for both curtains and upholstery. 

Sou'wester Yellow, Shrimp Pink, Mussel Grey, Lundy Green, Seal Brown

 Lundy Green - Shrimp Pink - Mussel Grey - Seal Brown - Sou'wester Yellow

Lamorna Cover in  Sou'wester Yellow, designed by Andrew Davidson for Lewis and Wood

  Lamorna Cover in Seal Brown, Lundy Green and Mussel Grey

Limited Edition Prints


Andrew is soon to produce some of his beautiful illustrations on special Japanese paper as very limited edition prints.


We were privileged to see a framed example at the Lewis and Wood event. They were such a delight we pre-ordered two designs. 




More about Andrew's work can be found at his website - http://www.andrewdavidsonillustration.com/

Adam Calkin - Magnificent Murals

In our previous post we mentioned meeting artist and muralist Adam Calkin at a Lewis and Wood event. We love Adams' designs - I have his wallpaper designs in four of my own rooms. So we thought we would share more about Adam and some images of his work for Lewis and Wood.

Adam Calkin

Adam Calkin has been one of the UK's leading decorative painters for thirty years, painting acres of wall space with decorative finishes and elaborate murals around the world. 

He now spends most of his time in his Wiltshire studio where he designs wallpaper and fabrics as well as working on furniture and paintings and bespoke wallpaper.

Fortunately for us, when he started creating fabrics and wallpapers he was able to share his love for flora and fauna with a much wider audience.  Below are some of his most popular creations. 

Adam's Eden

Adam's Eden by Adam Calkin for Lewis and Wood

Adam's Eden is loosely based on a European version of 18th-century chinoiserie and beautifully showcases Adam's wonderful talent for colour and pattern. 

It was designed for British fabric house Lewis and Wood and is available in both fabric and their wide-width wallpaper. It is not surprising that it is consistently one of their best sellers.

(By the way, Lewis and Wood's wide-width wallpaper is a dream to work with. It is soft but strong; it doesn't rip or tear; any creases smooth out easily;  it goes up really quickly; and there are very few joins.  In my opinion all wallpaper should be made this way - subject of a future post I think!

Back to Adam's Eden ....

Adam's Eden wallpaper by Lewis and Wood

Adam's Aden wallpaper. Property in Southwest harbor, Maine. Designed by Tom Scheerer.

Adam's Aden wallpaper. Property in Southwest harbor, Maine. Designed by Tom Scheerer. 

Adam's Eden wallpaper by Lewis and Wood.

Chateau

Chateau - Sienna

Chateau by Adam Calkin, is a dramatic and open design which was inspired by a fragment of a fresco wall painting found in a French chateau.

It is available from Lewis and Wood in their wide-width wallpaper. It comes in two colourways -  Sienna (pictured left) and Gesso (see below).

Jasper Peony

Jasper Peony by Adam Calkin is a tranquil pattern with Chinoiserie influences and is one of Lewis and Wood's  original Wide Width Wallpapers.  

It is truly beautiful and is the perfect choice for creating a peaceful atmosphere.

The wallpaper comes in a very wide choice of 15 fabulous soft colourways. There are also 5 fabric colorways.

Jasper Peony Wallpaper - Lagoon Blue

Jasper Peony Wallpaper - Rose

Jasper Peony Wallpaper - Georgian Yellow

More about Adam Calkin can be found at http://www.adamcalkin.com/information.html

Lewis and Wood  has created a substantial collection of textiles and wallpapers, largely manufactured in Britain. The success of the company lies in its determination to be different. They are based in Woodchester Mill, a magnificent building in the Stroud Valleys.

We are proud to be suppliers of Lewis and Wood fabrics and wallpapers.

Lewis & Wood is renowned for its range of character and sporting wallpapers, Toile de Jouy designs, rich patterned velvets and large scale prints, as well as its wide width wallpapers.

Lewis and Wood

Last week we were invited to visit Woodchester Mill, a magnificent building in the Stroud Valleys, and Home to the textiles company Lewis and Wood. We had a fabulous time including touring the Mill showroom and printing studio.

They have over 300 fabric blankets hanging 'Shaker' style from the walls, so we were able to get a good look at the designs and take them down and play around with different combinations. All their designs and colourways are on display including their fabulous signature Wide Width Wallpapers. Such fun!

Meeting the designers!

The absolute highlight was hearing from, and talking to, two of their talented designers about their inspiration - Adam Calkin, one of the UK's leading decorative painters and designer, illustrator and wood engraver Andrew Davidson.

So for our next couple of posts we thought we would showcase their work - we love it!

   ~ Watch this space ~