Back in the late 1990s, wood-sculpting when artists, and married couple, Malcolm Martin and Gaynor Dowling first started working together, they each brought specific and complementary skills to the table.
Malcolm was fine-art trained and had made sculptures in various materials before finally settling on wood. Gaynor had trained in textiles and at the time was creating fine-art felting: surface pattern and texture were her thing.
Having met a year or two earlier on the West Country exhibition circuit, theirs was a fortuitous encounter, both romantically and professionally. Their initial interest in each other's work developed into something more, as Gaynor joined forces with Malcolm in exploring surface decoration, which would provide the finish to his sculpted wooden vessels. 'I was coming from more of a carving background and Gaynor was from a world of pattern and texture. We thought bringing the 3D and the 2D together was rather interesting, so it evolved into a proper, full-time collaboration,' says Malcolm.
Over the 25 years they have worked together professionally as Martin and Dowling, the couple have built a body of work exploring this melding of the 2D and 3D, which includes pieces now held in a dozen public collections, from the Philadelphia Museum of Art to the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.
This story is from the March 2024 edition of Homes & Antiques.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2024 edition of Homes & Antiques.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Lisa Coppin
The Cotswold Company’s chief creative officer shares the pieces that mean so much to her
TRAVEL
Six of the best pineta, plus a festive trip to Covent Garden. Review of The Orange, Belgravia by Katie Pike, travel stories
OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE
Stumbled upon by chance, this ingenious material was a more affordable option than solid silver, and well-preserved examples are particularly desirable today
Merrily on high
Summoning servants since the 1700s, bell boards create instant English country-house style (even if you don't have any servants). Emma Longstaff dons her pinny
Let it snow
Nostalgic, magical and highly collectable, snow globes are curious objects of wonder that never fail to instil joy
Velvet Crush
Once the preserve of the wealthy, velvet finally touched all levels of society, thanks to advances in its production process
Celebrating in the Stable
Antiques dealer Julia von Hülsen specialises in Gustavian pieces - all of which look perfectly placed in her German home
THE SHOW MUST GO ON
Victorian toy theatres charming and exquisitely designed miniature worlds have inspired theatre royalty for decades. Today, the tradition is being kept alive by a small but talented network of makers
NICHOLAS LEES
The ceramic artist talks to Dominique Corlett about new ways of working with clay and blurring the edges of solid objects
Candy CHRISTMAS
Pastel hues, vintage decorations and bowls of sweet treats: the festive run-up is gloriously joyful at Bettina Færgeman's historic Copenhagen apartment, where there's an emphasis on entertaining...