became a diplomatic courier, based at
RAF Brize Norton, spending months
at a time in some fascinating and
beautiful places including Jamaica,
Belize and Oman, and others which
were rife with conflict at the time
(Bosnia and Kosovo). It was, however,
the West African country of Sierra
Leone that stole his heart when he
spent 18 months there as part of an
international team restructuring and
retraining the Sierra Leona army after
their civil war. “It was an amazing
place,” he enthuses. “I’d been all
over the world but nowhere where
there were friendlier people, and it’s
absolutely stunning. You should see
the beaches there.
“There wasn’t much to do in your
down-time there,” says Andrew,
“and so when I had a little time off, I
explored the surrounding countryside,
got talking to people and discovered
lots of highly skilled artists and
craftspeople. Prior to the civil war,
Sierra Leone had been a popular
destination for tourists for whom
they’d crafted top quality souvenirs
and giftware.” It was from these locals
that Andrew learnt how to carve wood.
When he arrived back
home in Brize Norton,
Andrew bought a lathe
and started wood turning,
before taking a series
of sculpting courses as
part of a resettlement
package. “I was the first
person ever to leave the
forces and look to retrain
as a sculptor, and I had to
persuade the resettlement
officer that it was a viable
life choice rather than a
whim. I travelled over to
her in Aldershot with one
of my sculptures and she
was instantly convinced,
buying the sculpture
from me on the spot!” he
chuckles.
And looking at his sculptures it’s easy
to see why. “I choose each piece for
its colour and detail, and I prefer to
work with wood that has cracks or
knots. It’s these flaws that add the
character,” Andrew explains, “and I use
a combination of staining and burning
to darken and blacken some of the
pieces to highlight the natural features.
You can see a range of Andrew’s
sculptures in Witney’s SOTA Gallery
where they are on show alongside
paintings, glass art, and ceramics as
well as striking colourful prints of
stylised landscapes by his partner
Jennifer Crowshaw who trained
originally as an interior designer at
the Regent Academy of Fine Arts
in London, and even has a TV show
under her belt.
The gallery only opened three
years ago and has fast developed
a reputation as being one of the
most friendly and approachable in
Oxfordshire. I’ve been in time and
time again to see what’s on show – it’s
amazing what you discover when you
least expect it!
Jennifer Crowshaw
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