Artistry in Wood reviews

11 Feb 18'

Mark Shackleton reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Had a great day yesterday - thank you. George took an excellent approach to help me learn the basics. He also assessed my self-critical approach very quickly and helped me relax with his calm reassuring guidance as I gradually improved my use of his high quality tools. Attention to H&S was also a real feature - I will keep my thumb down eventually and try to stop blowing into my face visor! Thank you Susan for the tasty lunch, hot drinks and company while we took breaks in your conservatory. I am very happy with my first bowl"

5 Feb 18'

Ken Wallwork reviewed: Wood turning courses

"I would like to thank George and Sue for the lovely relaxed reception, which immediately put me at ease. Following a thorough explanation of what was going to take place, the morning consisted of making the bottom of the bowl, from a lovely piece of Sycamore, using the lathe and the cutting tools. With the bottom finished it was time for a delicious lunch, biscuits and a cup of tea! The afternoon session saw the completion of the bowl, with a laquer finish and one extremely happy customer! Many thanks for a fantastic day."

3 Feb 18'

Ruaridh Watson reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A great time on sat. Both George and Sue are most welcoming and I had both a fun and informative experience and the lunch was lovely too! I would definitely recommend George to anyone who wants a great introduction to wood turning. Always with a calm and easy instructional patter I felt confident he had everything under control. My bowl is in pride of place in our living room"

2 Feb 18'

Lynne Duckett reviewed: Wood turning courses

"My husband and I had a wonderful day with George Foweraker learning the basics of wood turning. But the end result was far from basic, and produced two fantastic bowls, which far exceeded our expectations. They were friendly and welcoming and Susan did a lovely lunch and provided plenty of drinks. He was patient and encouraging and we had a thoroughly enjoyable day. We have booked another session as soon as we could!"

2 Feb 18'

Richard Vaudin reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Really enjoyable day, it went so quickly. Lots of tips, tricks and knowledge through years of experience were handed out throughout the days course. I would thoroughly recommend anyone considering taking up wood turning spending a day with George. Advice on equipment and tool choice was invaluable. George and Sue made us very welcome, Thanks for a fantastic day. Rich"

20 Jan 18'

Caryn Puffetts reviewed: Wood turning courses

"So much fun and learnt so much about the grain of the wood and finishing. George is a brilliant tutor and was so patient so at ease with him. Thank you everso."

19 Jan 18'

Alison and Chris reviewed: Wood turning courses

"We wanted to say thank you for a lovely day. George's patient teaching helped us to produce two lovely bowls that we are very proud of. He is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate and enjoys sharing his woodturning skills.We thoroughly enjoyed our day with George and Sue- including our lunch and look forward to seeing the photos."

18 Jan 18'

Karen reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you for making Mel’s woodworking day so inspiring. He came home so full of what he had experienced he couldn’t stop talking about all he has learnt. The bowl he has brought home is stunning and is already in pride of place!"

15 Jan 18'

Mike reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thanks George for a great day. I really enjoyed it and love the bowl we created together (I haven't yet given it to my daughter - that treat is yet to come!). I had a great day listening to you and learning from your experience - your style of teaching was very much appreciated and helped me especially as this was the first time I had ever done anything like this. The hospitality provided with teas, biscuits and lunch was first class, so many thanks to Susan! Thanks again for a great experience, I thought it was a brilliant day and I loved it! Cheers George!"

13 Jan 18'

Pete Griffiths reviewed: Wood turning courses

"My partner Lin bought me an day’s wood turning experience with George Foweraker as a Christmas present. Never one to shy away from DIY during my life, I was keen to add to my skills and find a new hobby for my retirement in a few years. On arrival George greeted me with a coffee and a 15 minute “getting to know each other” chat. We then entered his workshop which was an Aladdin’s cave for people who enjoy “making sawdust”. George is a skilled turner and a great teacher of his craft. I felt I brought away from the day more than just a beautifully finished bowl. George imparted his knowledge with great care and skill, mixed in with some really good humour. The tips you learn on this day will be put to use in many DIY in the future. When I got home and presented my bowl to Lin, she was staggered that a complete novice had brought back a piece she would have thought had come from a shop."

11 Jan 18'

Andy Wright reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Big thanks to George for his patience, expertise and vision on my Wood turning day. I arrived not really knowing what to expect from a 1-2-1 tuition - but I was warmly welcomed by both George and Susan. The day ran at a relaxed pace, with good measures of refreshment breaks and extra learning, demonstrating techniques that George uses on his masterpieces. The workshop is extremely well equipped and made me realise immediately that I need to update my equipment in order to consistently achieve quality results. I can't fault the course content, methods of teaching or the endless supply of treats, drinks, lunch, and even cake ! Thank you so much, I had a fantastic time, and I can guarantee I will be back for a visit ! Andi"

7 Jan 18'

Lisa nad Duncan reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A great day. Myself and Lisa really enjoyed it and love our bowls. We enjoyed listening and learning from George's experience. The hospitality provided with teas, biscuits and lunch was first class! Lisa’s bowl is full of apples and oranges as you can imagine. Thanks again for a great experience, we loved it!"

12 Dec 17'

Ian Pugh reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you both for a fantastic day. Susan's coffee, home made soup and hospitality deserves a platinum students choice award all by themselves. George, is a fantastic teacher with lots of patience and a knack for putting people at ease,he gave me the confidence to try a completely new hobby which I am thrilled about and hopefully I gained the skills to make my Dad proud. Thanks George I was your last student of 2017 and I’m sure you will see me again In 2018. Enjoy your break from teaching and I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year Ian"

8 Dec 17'

Hannah reviewed: Wood turning courses

"My Husband Shane has just come back from a days tuition with George. Still grinning from ear to ear! Couldn’t fault a thing, lovely people who couldn’t be more welcoming and helpful! Really enjoyed the day and has a lovely bowl to show for it and would highly recommend george to anyone!"

19 Nov 17'

Rebecca McNaught reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Had a great day with George and Chris. Made a bowl I am really proud of - with some expert (patient!) help! Sue took great care of us, tea and coffee on tap & would highly recommend, and look forward to visiting again."

19 Nov 17'

Elaine Davies reviewed: Wood turning courses

"George, Sue and Chris made it a lovely day for us, full of laughs but lots of knowledge as well. George went out of his way to accommodate all four of us even though he usually does two which we really appreciated. We all went home with such lovely bowls and an addiction to wood turning."

19 Nov 17'

Jane reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you to you George and Chris for a great day yesterday - brilliant tuition and an excellent result. My finished bowl is taking pride of place on my coffee table! "

18 Nov 17'

Ilse reviewed: Wood turning courses

"We spent a lovely day with George and his brother Chris making beech bowls. They're very attentive and knowledgeable tutors, I highly recommend the course. Thank you George and Chris for a day of woodturning, politics and philosophy - don't ask what Confusius said according to George..... . Regards Ilse"

14 Nov 17'

John reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thank you for a very enjoyable 2 days, and for your patience in trying to sort out 40 years of self taught bad practice and mistaken techniques. I think you have set me on the path to a new era of enjoying turning."

12 Nov 17'

Ian Webber reviewed: Wood turning courses

"What a great couple of days with George at His workshop in Burnham on Sea. Having been turning for about 3 years, self taught, with second hand tools, I thought it was about time to get some tuition. George tailored the days to suit my requirements, theory, safety, correct use of tools and their profiles all discussed in depth. The first day we completed a Cedar of Lebanon bowl, with a better finish than I have achieved in 3 years! All down to sharp and correct tools (not sanding) Day two we went through various spindle turning techniques, coves, beads, v.cuts etc. Then George suggested that I complete one of his bowls, again the interior of the bowl had a good finish. The two days were interspersed with lunch and tea breaks provided by Georges wife Susan. All in all, I had two great days, filled with good advice, plenty of tips and tricks and good humour from George. I now feel more confident, l that I learnt more in these two days, than I have in three years (being self taught!) Hopefully I will be back. Thanks George and Susan."

11 Nov 17'

Jan Richardson reviewed: Wood turning courses

"A brilliant second days tuition. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and learned so much. I felt having two ‘students’ worked well and enjoyed the additional company . I am so pleased with my bowl and look forward to putting into practice all I have learned. Thanks also to Susan for lunch and ‘on demand’ beverages."

10 Nov 17'

Sue Meads reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Just like old times . Thank you for a smashing day full of banter and laughter and the end product, a super bowl of which I am justifiably proud as it is the first time I have been anywhere near a lathe in two years. I think it just goes to show I must have had a damned good teacher when I started out! Thanks again to George, and , of course, Susan."

27 Oct 17'

Dave Darby reviewed: Wood turning courses

"First impressions are always important and the greeting from George and his wife on my arrival made the day. I learnt so much during the day course. The structure of timber made me better understand the correct way to use turning tools, the profile of gouges, some work to be done with the sharpening system on my bowl gouge and the finishing of work with abrasives, sanding systems and applying finishes. Most of all safety. I now realise I must rethink my approach to working with my lathe and how, I had in the past have put myself in danger on occasions. Christmas is not too far off and I can think of a couple of tools demonstrated will definitely be on my wish list; whether anyone will take notice is debatable. I'm hoping to get to work turning next week, family permitting; grandchildren return to school on Monday but I still have other commitments to taking up some my time. Retirement keeps me busy. Dave Darby."

23 Oct 17'

Neil Burman reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Having previously had a couple of days tuition with George earlier in the year, `I was delighted to be able to return visit earlier this month and have 3 more days of excellent tuition and time with George and his delightful wife Susan , who keeps us regularly plied with coffee,tea and lovely lunches. With little turning experience, I had surprised myself at our first meeting , how I had been able with Georges supervision to produce a couple of great platters in spalted beech and felt on this visit I wanted to challenge myself to try deep hollowing ,something I had never done! George thought I was up to it but,because hollowing was usually done blind as you are working through a small area that for most of time the work was done by feel, I would best start in open hollowing form,which was great as I did’nt want to have a mishap or injury!! George has infinite patience and gives great confidence and enthusiasm with a high degree of safety tips and for a novice like me that’s very reassuring! A large lump of beech was chosen, cut and mounted on the lathe and Georges’ instruction to “feel the bevel,pick-up the cut,let the wood come to you” was such I shall never now forget!! After a busy and great first day I found I had made a heavy large bowl that I found really pleasing. Day two, I arrived on time and found George having coffee looking at a glossy book of great creations by a Bert Marsh, and he said as I wanted a challenge, I would have a go at producing a vase such as one shown! The day flew by and Susans lovely chilli soup and coffees passed in a sort of blur, my finding I had made a creation that I did’nt realise I could have done, using tools, blow lamps and rasps ! Amazing, my wife could‘nt believe I’d done it when I showed her that evening at the B&B. Day three, Arrived early, and we set to with revision on wood graining and how best to get the right cuts for different shapes,be they end or cross grain,then using the rest of the beech lump we turned a heavy solid bowl,sanded and treated with lemon oil. George in the space of twenty minutes also turned a veneer thin bowl that looked amazing as you could almost see through it! He thought it would quickly go out of shape as it dried but with loads of Lemon oil applied, its fine. All in, a fun time and I look forward to another session next year."

12 Oct 17'

Peter Dean reviewed: Wood turning courses

"Thanks for a really surprising day and for reminding me that I have to listen in order to learn what the master wants to teach the student ! Thank Susan for feeding me. I can see before I go any further that I need to master chisel sharpening and so will get a jig. Well done. The day worked perfectly. Peter."