Thomas Joynes
Thomas was the first artist with whom we collaborated on an exclusive. In 2018, we partnered with fine cabinet-makers, Halstock, under their Little Halstock bespoke division, to re-imagine his Aurora sculpture in fine timbers, including Masur birch and burr walnut. Aurora was inspired by the Fibonacci Sequence, whereby each number is the sum of the two preceding it. This golden ratio provides the foundation for many of the structures within nature, including seeds, flowers, petals, pine cones, fruit and vegetables. This sense of mathematical proportion and elegance of symmetry so evident in the natural world is key to Thomas’s own sensibilities.
Thomas Joynes first discovered his love of making as a boy when he explored the woodlands of rural Essex, using his hands to craft bows and arrows, and tree houses. During his Foundation course, he was drawn to working with Plaster of Paris – casting, moulding and carving large solid blocks of it. He then studied at the Norwich University of the Arts, later assisting in the studio of Angela Conner before launching his own studio.
Thomas’s work is clearly influenced by 20th -century masters, such as Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Constantin Brancusi, Jean Arp and Naum Gabo, but to these he brings his own sense of movement and dynamism. Major projects include public art commissions, such as a three-metre high bronze sculpture for a Metro station in Hong Kong and a bronze for the Crown Estate (the original Aurora). Functional sculpture projects include a set of bespoke gates and a three-metre wide, wall-hung, contemporary sundial.
Most usually his work is commissioned for outside locations, such as gardens, courtyards and landscapes but increasingly he has turned his attention towards work that sits happily within an interiors scheme, using lavish materials and finishes such as polished bronze and 24ct gold gilding.
