While school is not over for a couple of weeks, Saturday 21st November not only saw the opening of ‘Transformation’, the Sturt School for Wood class of 2015’s exhibition, it was also a very special occasion – celebrating the hard work and marking the great achievement and graduation of the class of 2015 – 12 students in total.  The event included many well worded thanks and speeches from inspirational individuals, well-known in fine furniture circles, including Rodney Hayward, David Upfill-Brown and Phoebe Everill.

Even though I can count on my fingers the amount of times I have met the class of 2015 I feel like I know each and every one of them – you have played a very big and special part in our lives this year (and beyond I hope), and its an absolute privilege and a pleasure. Congratulations all of you! I know it has been a journey for each and every one of you with twists and turns, ups and downs, with munts and marvels a plenty!

The graduation exhibition is aptly named Transformation celebrating the students unwavering dedication to learning the necessary skills and techniques,  and their personal commitment to delivering inspirational designs, technical precision and hard-work to transform their raw materials into art. The very delivery of such a fine exhibition also marks their own personal journeys and growth as individuals, artists and skilled craftspeople. You should all be very proud of yourselves and your own transformations. Every one of you will have got something different from the year and I hope it has given you as much as it has given us – a new sense of self and purpose, new friends and a new direction.

Although I thought starting this course would be the beginning, and the year the adventure for us – its clear now, that the fine furniture course at Sturt School for Wood is indeed the beginning, but the year is just the start of an ongoing adventure for us.

As those of you who know us you will know I am the proudest proud thing ever – not just because Chris was awarded the Studio Woodworkers, Australia Emerging Professional Award (which is awesome and amazing) in addition to his certificate (which is also fantastic) but because of how hard he has worked so far and the exceedingly fine furniture he has produced already and its only the beginning.

The exhibition of works by the graduating students from Sturt School for Wood 2015 is still on at Sturt Gallery, Mittagong, NSW and runs to the 5th December. Get on down there and do some Christmas shopping!