About Fran

I make wooden treasures in my workshop at home in Lyme Regis. I grew up in Dorset but spent ten years working and living in London. I have always made things and been surrounded by different professional makers amongst my family and friends.

As a child I was inspired by automata of all descriptions, the most naïve simplest traditional toys, music boxes, folk art from around the world – I have an eye and passion for anything kinetic.

Although my longstanding career was in youth work, I fitted in an apprenticeship with a cabinet maker in between and enjoyed making things out of wood for my children and home. In 2019 I made a leap from working with people to concentrate on making automata and other small wooden things.

There is a synthesis between my work with wood and with people. My passion is still focussed around human stories and my work often reflects this.

I enjoy listening to the life experiences and memories people hold close to them, and I am inspired by the idea of making something bespoke around personal stories and the day to day goings on that we recognise in humanity.