Carl Fox is a London based, self-taught artist, working with a combination of leather and wood veneer. Using the ancient techniques of marquetry and parquetry, Carl’s practice combines the emotional, storytelling aspects of art with the innate connection the viewer has with material, the backbone of the craft world.
Originally a hairdresser by trade, Carl has dedicated his spare time over the last twenty-five years to learn a range of craft skills that have culminated in the practice he has today. Ranging from interior design to upholstery, textile work to furniture restoration, Carl eventually discovered leather craft and it's been a love affair ever since.
Following an award of studio space and mentoring from the Worshipful Leather sellers Company at Cockpit Deptford, Carl was able to develop and evolve his practice allowing him to create art full time.
Drawing inspiration from the palettes and textures of the natural world, he uses abstraction to create thought provoking, tactile pieces that the viewer can get lost in. His work focuses on how memory of time, place or emotion can be triggered by colour and texture alone, without the use of figurative imagery. Carl aims to explore our intrinsic connection to nature, and our collective, often unconscious, relationship to materials that have been used by our ancestors for Millenia.
Carl is passionate about using as many existing materials as possible. He favours using leather that has been produced for the luxury fashion industry, and due to overproduction, has become unused, surplus stock. Pairing this with wood veneer, often offcuts, he designs marquetry artworks with a nostalgic nod to a past era.
Carl is quickly gaining attention for his art works and skills with leather. He has works in collections both in the UK and internationally, has participated in shows such as Collect Art Fair and London Craft Week, and takes on a range of private and public commissions.
In 2023 Carl received the Carpenters Company QEST Scholarship to push his practice even further and will be exploring traditional steam bending techniques with wood. He aims to combine these heritage craft skills to move his work from a 2D format to 3D, interactive sculptural forms.
‘My art is an exploration of human emotion through form, texture, colour, and line. An insight into the raw feelings that come from daily experience. The hidden undulance of every individual thought we never dare share.
For me, abstraction is cathartic. A healing process that occurs when texture and colour combine. By using both the tactile nature of leather and the sweeping grain of wood, I create stories in my pieces that are as individual as the person viewing them. Each and every artwork reflecting the observer’s experience.
Each piece is born from waste product, surplus stock, or offcuts.
I include the faults, scars or cracks that would normally make these materials unusable.’
Structured yet imperfect.
