Jim Partridge

by Alison Britton and Katherine Swift

Published 1 September 2003
Jim Partridge (b.1953) is a craftsman who specialises in our place in the landscape. His work, often made in partnership with Liz Walmsley, has included sheltering seats for a windswept Northumberland headland, tempting footbridges over highland burns, and an altar and cross cut from a single block of oak for Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. These objects assert a strong but quiet presence within their surroundings. This book celebrates Jim Partridge's achievements as one of the UK's finest woodworkers. His smaller studio work has been exhibited widely and features in prestigious museum collections in Britain, America and Japan. He also works with architects on urban public art projects and domestic furniture commissions, and in 1999 was shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Applied Arts Prize (furniture), winning the public vote. Partridge's highly distinctive style, maximising the sensual qualities of his materials, is reflected by the pieces illustrated in this book, from delicate carved and turned vessels to monumental site-specific commissions.