Based in the beautiful village of Arrochar in Argyll & Bute, Arrochar Crafts specialises in handmade artwork, wooden items and whatever else takes our fancy on a given day.
You can often find us at craft fairs in the Argyll & Bute locale where we sell our artwork, wooden portraits and wooden furnishings.
We love taking commissions – it’s a fantastic feeling to create something personal for somebody.
Please get in touch via enquiries@arrocharcrafts.co.uk
With a sea loch and views of the Arrochar Alps mountain range it’s an inspiring and beautiful place to live – we’re very lucky!
About Angela
I have been designing and making greetings cards for several years now. Playing about with different techniques has unquestionably kept things interesting.
After experimenting with different inking and stamping techniques a friend commented that those particular cards would look good as framed art.
And so it started.
With just a few different colours of ink, some blending solution and a lot of patience I create my backgrounds. It yields some weirdly interesting and stunning backgrounds, ready for stamping.
It is deeply satisfying and enjoyable; I never quite know where it will lead. Even now the picture is never truly revealed until the last bit of glitter or paint is added.
I mount my images in simple frames. Some are bought and some are created by Mark from recycled wood, especially for the picture.
About Mark
I’ve always enjoyed woodworking and creating things with my hands. It makes a difference from my day-job, which is entirely desk-bound.
My discovery of wooden cut-out art was entirely accidental coming about through a total inability to use a fret saw…
My goal was to cut dovetails to make wooden boxes. I soon found out that skilled woodworkers need to be able to cut at 90 degrees – whereas I couldn’t. I set about (very slowly and sloppily) cutting out stencils that I found online to train my skills.
Pretty soon I was creating my own templates of famous people, friends and their pets. I was creating my own, unique, artwork!
I forgot all about dovetails.
I love the challenge of taking an image or images and creating a likeness in plywood. Balancing the light and shadow to try to get an accurate portrait is a challenge. The fact that the process is a slow one and the final result only revealed with the last cut of the saw is something that I find truly relaxing.
I use sustainable, FSC approved plywood and reclaimed timber, eco-friendly wood stains and food-safe finishes to create art, furnishings and frames. I get the heebie-jeebies at the thought of putting something toxic into somebody’s house.
Thanks for taking the time to read our story – if you have any questions, want some bespoke artwork or just fancy saying hello, please get in touch.