As the year moves quickly towards its final months, we’re delighted to share an update from our Artists in Residence and reflect on what they have been creating since Melbourne Design Week.

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Margot Feast

For the carving process, I have been exploring a range of techniques, from traditional hand chisels to the ever-expanding range of Arbortech power-carving tools. Another focus has been on engineering the lamp so that the electrics could be added after the carving process and if necessary, altered in the future.  

The final design challenge for the lamp was the base. As the original design did not incorporate one, it was a significant challenge to create a base that felt integral to the lamp rather than an afterthought. After filling a sketchbook with ideas and making around six different prototypes, I settled on a 2.5 mm brass base. The design met the key requirement of providing stability while also adding an aesthetic quality that complements the grace and beauty of the lamp itself. 

I used the Wood Review maker of the year competition as a deadline to finalise both the lamp’s design and its production. It worked. The finished lamp can be viewed in the Art & Object category. Here

Follow Margot on Instagram here.

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Caleb Biffanti

While that means progress has not seemed substantial, I’ve planted some seeds for some upcoming work, exhibited as a finalist at VIVID and wrestled through the surprisingly complex logistics of custom crating and shipping (who knew!).

Participating in Melbourne Design Week was a highlight and great creative and productive push. It made visible all the time and energy being sown into this residency and a great reminder of why the long hours tucked away in a windowless basement workshop are worth it. Thank you again to those who were able to make it.

Follow Caleb on Instagram here.

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Emily McRae

Following MDW, I shifted back to a project that I began working on earlier in the year. I am making a tool chest (using plans from Fine Woodworking) with a focus on traditional draw making which is something that I have never done before.
I am enjoying working with hand tools and am quickly gaining an appreciation of the time and precision required to execute the drawers. While I don’t think handmade drawers are a great business move or money maker, I’m hoping that this exercise will develop skills that will make me a better craftsmen. Currently half the drawers have been made and I hope by the end of the year the cabinet will be complete!

Follow Emily on Instagram here.

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Freddy Mata

Jumping from flat surfaces and compound angle cuts on end grain panels, to more organic/curved shapes where the challenge is not in the carving and preparation of surfaces but in applying the colours. I need to rest my wrist and forearm levelled with the face being coloured to keep the pulse steady (I guess I cannot be a surgeon) and keep the colour within the rings on the Oregon end grain. 

In this defining point of my work I use a mix of hardwoods and Oregon where the denser timber gets carved as part of the pieces but they are the base/back for the Oregon bits that contain the colours. 

Now feels like I got myself to a realm of endless possibilities that eventually will take me to the Mitsubishi Factory in Japan where the Posca pens are fabricated, I mean one have to dream big hey!

Follow Freddy on Instagram here.

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We also wanted to share some updates about Wanda, who finished her residency last month and moved back to her home in New Zealand. Wanda is a prolific artist and very much missed by everyone, and we loved hearing what she’s been up to recently. As expected, there is plenty happening.

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Wanda Gillespie

Follow Wanda on Instagram here.

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Our Artists will be presenting their work in December for their End of Year presentation. This time it will take place at the VWA workshop, in their own spaces, so this is promising to be very engaging and we are looking forward to hearing from them. You can already register in the link below.

Members meeting at the VWA

Massive thank you again to these legends, Darren at Crafted Hardwood and Jem Like Butter for giving up their Sunday to present to our members.

Everyone was impressed by the technology behind this engineered hardwood and the possibilities it opens up for furniture making. It really makes you rethink what timber is and how much value can still be found in material that would otherwise be discarded.

And it’s exciting to see what designers and makers are already doing with it. Their collaborations with Jon Goulder, Tom Skeehan and Like Butter are a great example of where this material can go beyond its traditional use in building and architecture.

It was also fascinating to hear how Like Butter has evolved over the years. Starting out in Melbourne’s inner west in 2007, husband and wife Jem Selig Freeman and sculptor Laura Woodward began with a plasma cutter and a focus on stainless steel. Since then, they’ve continued to experiment, collaborate and push the boundaries of design and craftsmanship.

The development of their KittaParts modular shelving, using Crafted Hardwood dowels, has been a big part of the business’s recent success. Last year, they were awarded Business of the Year, and after hearing the story behind Kitta Part and the work that went into developing it, it’s easy to see why.

Want to know more about Crafted Hardwood, visit https://www.craftedhardwoods.com/ and if you’re interested in Like Butter’s KittaParts shelving, visit https://likebutter.com.au/

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Last month, we were incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of carving artists Susan Wraight. Some years ago, we invited Susan to give a talk to our VWA members.  

David Hall recalls this from the day: “She was a remarkable craftsperson and while much of what she would have spoken about has faded from my memory, I do clearly recall two things. The first was a sense of unsettling conflict between my eyes and my brain. The brain was telling me that this object was wood, and my eyes could not believe that such tiny and perfect detail could be executed in wood! The other thing was her explanation of how to create a dimpled surface on for example the skin of a frog. With a punch she would hit down into the surface creating small indents, sand back until the indents disappeared and then wet the surface causing the compressed fibres in the indents to swell back to normal and project above the surface. It is presumably a centuries old technique used by the Japanese masters of Netsuke but amazing stuff” 

“Sue was an internationally acclaimed Netsuke Carver who competed with and often defeated the finest Craftspeople of Japan”, Hamish Hill. 

Andrew Potocnik also wrote for us this wonderful tribute about Susan:  

“These are personal recollections of Sue that I have drawn together from memories that span over forty years since I first met her. Although we weren’t ‘buddies’, we were friends who could call each other when the need arose, but that’s the type of person Sue was. You could get in touch any time and it was as if you had only spoken last week. Sue was a humble, down-to-earth person who never hinted her standing, not just in our woodworking community, but on the world stage, where she was a luminary.

I first met Sue way back in 1984 or 1985 when I was a student at what was then known as the Melbourne College of Advanced Education, and she was a fledgling Aussie, fresh from the UK. She was part of the team that taught second, third and fourth year students, where she inspired everyone with her ‘bubbly’ personality. Her accent and distinct hairstyle made her immediately recognisable and very easy to get along with, especially as she recalled projects she had been drawn into working on. 

Always impeccably dressed, Sue was happy to share her personal life, as it influenced her work and development as a maker of objects of extraordinary beauty. Few would know that she worked on restorative carvings of Winchester Cathedral in the UK, searching the UK to find suitable pieces of English Oak with which to create replacement misericords, only to find that her best option was available here in Melbourne. 

Sue spent extended time living on a Scottish island carving pieces for a client who owned a castle. She also carved the original moulds that were used by a prominent Melbourne jeweller to make numerous tiny silver casts of Australian native animals. Her reach was immense and it was part of the narrative of her life. 

I don’t know how Sue came to know Ray Stebbins, another teacher of Gold and Silversmithing working in the training of teachers, who incidentally interviewed me when I applied for MCAE. Anyway, Sue recalled to us, her students, how when on a country outing for a picnic somewhere in the Dandenongs (I think) meeting Ray’s family for the first (I think) time, she spotted a snake that had been run over on the road. She insisted that it be taken home for her to study in depth for a netsuke, so it was placed in the Esky, at the expense of the picnic lunch which ended up being soggy for the family meeting. 

Sue’s pieces are owned by some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, including several museums in Japan, and as far as I know, at least one former President of the USA and the Emperor of Japan. Quite an honour for an English lady working in a style steeped in tradition and dominated by Japanese men. And to add icing to the cake, Sue was at one stage voted the world’s best Netsuke carver by her peers! 

Several years ago, whilst in Japan, I visited the Kyoto Seishu Netsuke Art Museum in Kyoto, just to see Sue’s works, with pride in my heart, knowing that Sue was a friend of mine. These were early pieces and nothing close to the best works she created later in life, but they were already considered worthy of being displayed alongside the best in Japan. 

Sue’s eye for detail and skill developed not just in the composition of her pieces, but the narrative that came with the story that the carving captured. Some may remember the presentation she made for the VWA several years ago, in which she related a thread in her pieces to the story of Alice in wonderland. Sue’s work continued to be regarded as the best of the best, not just in the country where Netsuke originated, and its cultural role was recognised, but on the world stage as a form of representational carving in its own right. 

About ten years ago Sue contacted me to ask whether I’d be interested in the doors of her and Ray’s kitchen cabinets which were being remodelled. She knew that the wood was difficult to find these days, so she wanted it to be put to good use. I cannot say ‘no’ to good, free wood, so I was there before you can imagine. 

Loading the doors into my car, Ray in his dry style looked at Sue and said, the wood from these doors will still be in use when our new doors are falling apart (meaning that the new doors would be of manmade material). Anyway, I was going through a phase of making small jointed jewellery-type boxes, and made one from Sue and Ray’s wood. Once completed, I packaged it up and posted it to Sue. A few days later I received a phone call from her, bursting with excitement, telling me that she was to celebrate a significant birthday in the next week and that this was a perfect gift! 

Recently I returned to a project that has been on the back burner for a few too many years, and in searching for suitable material, I settled on Sue and Ray’s Queensland Walnut, which I use very judiciously. 

Once the project was finished, a small four-sided box made of turned segments, capped with a lid featuring a springy finial, I made a short video and sent it to Sue. She replied and told me how much she liked it and that Ray would have loved it if he was still alive. This was when I first learned of Ray’s passing, and thought of giving the piece to Sue as a memory of her time with Ray. 

To my horror I learned of Sue’s passing… She was a person who I’m lost for words to describe… 

Fortunately, I still have several doors from Sue and Ray’s kitchen cabinets, which I already used with the respect I have for precious wood and Sue’s gifting, but now those doors will remind me of Sue every time I see them. And they are now even more precious than ever before.”

If you’d like to read more about Susan, you can find this wonderful article by Susan on the Australian Wood Review: https://www.woodreview.com.au/how-to/susan-wraight-through-the-looking-glass and a tribute by Alistair Boell https://www.woodreview.com.au/profiles/a-tribute-to-susan-wraight

Photo Credits: Images were supplied to the Australian Wood Review for the article by Sue (Through the Looking Glass) – originally published in AWR issue 2 – see link above. Vic Wood Huon Pine Carved box by Linda Nathan.

Fair to say, Oslek coatings demonstration at the workshop was a real eye opener!

We’re really grateful to Boyd for sharing his knowledge and letting our members get hands on with the products. Members were impressed, not only by the speed of the process, but also by the quality of the finish.

Oslek proudly manufactures a world-class surface coating in Australia, combining fast-curing performance with next-generation sustainability. Their LED curing Hardwax oils are incredibly easy to apply, are VOC free (no smell) and are Australian made. And the most impressive part is that they cure instantly under their LED lights.

If you weren’t able to join us, we’ve share a couple of short videos on our socials here and here.

Visit Oslek website: https://oslekcoatings.co.uk/

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We would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who visited our workshop during our Artists’ Open Studio as part of Melbourne Design Week.

Over three incredible days, we were thrilled to welcome hundreds of guests into our workshop-turned-gallery at our Wood Design Centre in North Melbourne.

If you weren’t able to join us, we created the perfect atmosphere for this very special event. We turned down the lights and let our Artists in Residence’s pieces do the talking, showcasing their work in a beautiful way.

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Melbourne Design Week is an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative
Victoria. designweek.melbourne

As part of this year’s Melbourne Design Week, we’re incredibly excited to be hosting our own exhibition and to be part of a city-wide program that celebrates creativity, making, and contemporary design in all its forms.

With the next few weeks set to be packed full of open studios, exhibitions, talks, installations, and workshops across Melbourne, there’s no shortage of inspiring things to see and experience. We’ve been busy planning our own contribution, but along the way we’ve also come across a number of events, exhibitions, and makers that genuinely caught our attention.

So, whether you’re mapping out your Design Week schedule or simply looking for an excuse to explore the city a little differently, here are a few of the events we’re especially looking forward to.

Industry 

Presented by Isabel Avendaño Hazbún with Raven Mahon 

Industry is an exhibition about legitimate sustainability with the aim of creating a circular economy model within a small designer–maker studio. The result is a series of speculative works — furniture, lighting, homewares, textiles and sculpture; some finished, some still concepts — where the entire ecological impact of the object is considered: materials, production, use, storage, transport and disposal, compelling a revision of outdated manufacturing models where sustainability becomes the true measure of an object’s worth.

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100 CHAIRS 
Presented by Friends & Associates 
 
100 CHAIRS features the work of over 100 Australian creatives, studios, artists, architects and practices exploring the chair as a medium. The exhibition provides a platform for creatives at all career levels to present work collectively. Following on from Melbourne Design Week 2025’s landmark exhibition 100 LIGHTS, 100 CHAIRS imposes stricter requirements that the work must be both designed and made within the country. 

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Second Nature

Presented by Mal Thomas Design & Jeanie Mulligan & Alex Lesniowski & Harry Zanios & Adam Stewart & Patrick Holcombe

In collaboration with Curve Design, Second Nature presents a curated exhibition of innovative, Australian-made furniture pieces designed specifically for small footprints and multi-functionality.

These objects facilitate connection and calm in busy urban ‘third places’, such as neighbourhood cafes or home retreats. The exhibition invites reflection on how conscious design shapes everyday social spaces.

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Felled: Reimagining Timber Supply in Contemporary Craft Practice 

Presented by Craft Victoria 

Felled reimagines timber supply sources in contemporary woodworking practice. Six makers and designers with specialised knowledge of timber engage the material beyond newly processed, machined slabs and find possibilities in existing materials, including timber waste and plant debris, as furniture and object-design making material.

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Australian Furniture Design Award 2026 – Living Well Living Small
Presented by Stylecraft Furniture & Lighting & National Gallery of Victoria

Visit the new Stylecraft showroom during Melbourne Design Week to see the winning and shortlisted entrants in the sixth edition of the biannual Australian Furniture Design Award – including new work responding to the theme Living Well Living Small by Joanne Odisho, Isabel Avendano Hazbun, Nika Biggs, Besley & Spresser, and Aileen Sage Architects. View the exhibition on the ground floor, then continue to Level One to explore Stylecraft’s Celebrating Australian Design exhibition.

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Latent Space: Tradition Reframed
Presented by Anton Gerner Furniture

Latent Space: Tradition Reframed presents a new body of work by Melbourne/Naarm furniture designer and maker Anton Gerner. Building on ideas explored in his 2025 Melbourne Design Week exhibition The Storm, The Craft & The Future, this exhibition continues an ongoing investigation into how traditional furniture languages can exist within a contemporary design context.

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Conversations by Jon Goulder and Collaborators
Presented by ALPHA 60

Jon Goulder presents a series of design outcomes shaped by ongoing dialogue, collaboration and material research. Central to the program is a partnership with Melbourne fashion house ALPHA60, culminating in the opening of Chapter House as a new Design Week venue formed through years of conversation between Alex and Georgie Cleary and Goulder.

New works include a lighting collection and pressed leather chair developed with Andrew Carvolth, grounded in material intelligence, hands-on process and the belief that form is resolved through making.

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Tactile Dialogues: Fragments of Matter
Presented by Ryan Fernandes & Made by Morgen

A fragment can be a physical piece of an object, a trace of something left behind, a half-remembered memory or a glimpse through a half-closed door. Sometimes detached or incomplete. Sometimes shifting.

Tactile Dialogues: Fragments of Matter invites audiences to experience fragmentation as both material and concept — a space where new forms, partial views and traces of thought become the starting point for dialogue, curiosity and reflection.

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Lines of Force
Presented by Ash Allen

This exhibition pays homage to the iconic work of three female design luminaries — Simone LeAmon, Helen Kontouris and Laura McCusker.

Ash Allen has recreated, in steel weldmesh, a piece from each of their portfolios and presents the narrative behind each work. Participants are: Simone LeAmon, Helen Kontouris, Laura McCusker, Ash Allen.

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Designed by Human, Cut by Machine
Presented by Conrad-S

Designed by Human, Cut by Machine envisions a future where Australian design embraces both human creativity and technological precision to shape a more sustainable, circular world. Through a curated collection of Conrad-S furniture, prototypes and sketches, the exhibition explores how design can balance craft and code to build the world we want, one that values resourcefulness, longevity and sustainability.

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Stonygrad: Material Encounters
Presented by Jessica Lillico and Sean Fennessy

Stonygrad, the iconic self-built home of modernist artist Danila Vassilieff, was constructed by hand in the Warrandyte bush from stone and timber found on site. Taking decades to complete, it is at once crude and considered, collapsing the distinction between art and design and challenging conventional ideas of dwelling.

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A State of Matter
Presented by Hortenzia

This site-specific installation explores the interaction of materials, form and light within a space. Hard and soft, light and dark, natural and manufactured, materials create tension through contrast while forms highlight negative space. Objects are positioned not as isolated items but as active participants within the environment, absorbing, reflecting and projecting light.

This exhibition is presented by the newly formed exhibition space Room, curated by Sophie Sideris.

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More Making 
Presented by Studio Eric Yuen 

More Making is an exhibition, a series of objects, an open studio and a workshop, all rotating around the act of object making from home. 

The materials used are easily acquired and off-the-shelf — timber battens, slotted angles, plywood, screws and bolts. The tools are accessible and low entry, including handsaws, measuring tape and chisels and cordless drills. 

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KEEP: Forever Objects Designed by Six Australian Architects 
Presented by American Hardwood Export Council 

What happens when some of Australia’s most respected architects turn their attention from buildings to objects? 

KEEP brings together six architectural practices to design furniture intended to last within a culture of disposability. Presented with Cult and curated by David Clark, the exhibition explores permanence, Australian craftsmanship and material integrity through a series of new works made from American hardwoods. 

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How Did “Sustainability” in Design Become a Dirty Word?
Presented by Authentic Design Alliance & Design Made Podcast

The word “sustainability” has lost its way. Once a serious commitment, it has become marketing-speak, and the open door to greenwashing.

So what conversations should we be having instead, and how do we contribute to genuine change?

Melbourne Design Week is an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative
Victoria. You can view the full program: designweek.melbourne

1) Introduce yourself – where are you based, what do you do and how long have you been a VWA member?

I’m Charlotte (Charlie) a British-born maker working from my home studio in Montmorency, Melbourne. I’ve been connected to the VWA through various friends for a couple of years but only recently became a member.

2) When did you first get into your craft/practice and what was your journey to it?

I started doing evening classes at Melbourne Guild of Fine Woodworking in July 2023 after looking for somewhere to learn skills and use tools because I wanted to make some stuff around the home for my cats (to date the cats haven’t received anything). It was instant love being back in a workshop for the first time since school. Between a combination of evening classes and weekend intensives I tried out furniture making, restoration and upholstery but it was a carving course that truly tipped me over the edge into being fully obsessed with wanting to work with wood as more than a hobby.

In 2024 I decided to career transition into woodworking. I choose turning as my route into making a collection of homewares I could sell, while continuing to develop my carving skills. I set up a home workshop in a studio space we had in the bottom of our garden. At the point I was trying to get a 300kg Vicmarc lathe down my steep driveway I was starting to question what the hell I was getting myself into and it’s been a wild ride but now I’m trading and getting such lovely feedback from customers, it’s definitely been worth the journey to get here.

3) Current top three music tracks you listen to or all time favourite song/artist Samples of music I listen to, and when:

Raye (ft Hans Zimmer) – Click Clack Symphony

Lady Gaga & Doechii – Runway

Drops of Jupiter – Train

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Charlotte will be at the Big Design Market in Melbourne on the 22nd-24th May.

You can follow Charlotte on instagram here or shop online here

Step inside the studios of the Victorian Woodworkers Association and meet the five current Artists in Residence – Freddy Mata Mendoza, Wanda Gillespie, Emily McRae, Caleb Biffanti, and Margot Feast.

This open-studio exhibition offers a rare glimpse into contemporary woodworking practice, from early sketches and prototypes to finished works. Over three days — 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of May — visitors are invited to explore works in progress, completed pieces, and the varied processes that drive each maker’s practice. An opening event will be held on Saturday 23rd May 6-8pm.

Across furniture, fine joinery, sculpture, and playful experimental forms, the exhibition highlights the handmade, the exchange of ideas, and the creative community shaping the world they want to build, one piece at a time.

Exhibition: Friday 22nd & Saturday 23rd May 2-6pm and Sunday 24th of May 10-4pm. No registration required.

Opening night: Saturday 23rd May 2026.
Time: 6-8 pm. Please register below

Location: Victorian Woodworkers Association – Wood Design Centre

5 Tyrone St, North Melbourne VIC 3051

Snack food and drinks will be provided 

 A return visit to Glen Arm Trees offered members an opportunity to step back into the full lifecycle of furniture-grade timber production, from tree to premium finished material.

The day centred around understanding agroforestry in practice: how trees are grown, managed, and ultimately milled into furniture-grade timber.

This time around, the weather reminded us we were firmly in the cooler months, but we were thankfully well protected by the Shining, Spotted and Blue Gums when the drizzle came through. For many members, it was a first chance to experience agroforestry up close, including everyone getting a turn on the bandsaw mill.

It was, once again, a generous and engaging day, with plenty of shared knowledge and a real sense of connection to the material we work with and those who grow it. By all accounts, a fabulous time was had by all.

We’re incredibly grateful to Tim, Tim and Steve and their families for their time and for being such amazing hosts. 

If you want to read a detailed description of what it takes to undertake this kind of agroforestry check out or blog here.

Find out more about Glen Arm Trees here. 

Photography: Tim Richards – Glen Arm Trees

We’re excited to be taking part in this year’s Lost Trades Fair at Hanging Rock. 
 
“Hanging Rock is one of the most iconic sites in the state and it is very exciting to be able to bring our artisans – the rock stars of traditional and heritage trades – together at such a magical site to share their skills, trades, talent, stories, culture, knowledge and celebrate the enduring pursuit of hand-made with the very finest levels of human craftsmanship on display”. 
 
As an organisation that supports woodworkers and makers, it feels right to be part of such an event that celebrates traditional skills, craftsmanship, and making by hand. 
 
We’re looking forward to sharing the weekend with so many talented artisans and hope to see you there.