Profile of David Morton a woodturner
David has always had a passion for creating artefacts. Even from an early age, he could be found in his father’s shed making objects out of scraps of wood left over from his father’s projects. Although he followed a traditional grammar school education, he still veered towards the more practical subjects.
On leaving school, David embarked upon a teacher training course at Loughborough College of Education where he studied Creative Design. This course gave him the opportunity to work with a wide range of materials from clay to GRP and techniques ranging from batik to green sand casting of metals. David eventually specialised in working in silver, creating both large hollow ware and small pieces of costume jewellery. He was fortunate in that the course was relatively new and students were encouraged to experiment with ideas and materials whilst being taught the fundamentals of good design and traditional craft skills.
On completing his studies the need to survive took over and David started teaching in a grammar school in Kent. His first post was as a metalwork teacher with a focus on traditional engineering techniques. He did however continue to practice silversmithing and the making of jewellery in his spare time and also taught this subject in evening classes at a local adult education centre. During this period, he was commissioned to create several pieces of ironwork including a lectern for a church in Kent as well as an altar cross for its sister church in Dortmund.
As time progressed and the focus on craft education changed, David was able to introduce more creative aspects into his teaching and to broaden the experiences of his students.
Gradually David’s role within the education system changed and he was unable to spend as much time teaching practical subjects as he would have liked, but his passion for creating continued and he spent as much of his spare time as possible in his own workshop. On retirement, David moved to rural Herefordshire where he set up a small workshop to pursue his interests. Today, he combines woodturning and silversmithing techniques to create pieces in which the natural texture and fluid lines of the grain of wood contrast with the clean crispness of inlaid silver.
David draws his inspiration from the environment around him, from natural and manufactured forms and from early twentieth-century design styles. Each piece that he makes is unique and presents new challenges both in its design and construction.