About the Artist
Nicholas Hobbs
Nicholas Hobbs was born into a creative family in rural County Durham in 1957, he grew up with a passion for making things.
He studied Creative Design at Loughborough University, majoring in Furniture Design. The courses had for some considerable time been heavily influenced by Edward Barnsley, who was also a visiting lecturer.
After graduation Nicholas worked at the Institute for Consumer Ergonomics in Loughborough. There he was involved in research linking furniture and other aspects of design with the human form. He then moved to Derbyshire, where he taught engineering drawing, graphics, and design over an eleven year period. During this time, his basement at home was transformed into a modest workshop for innovative but practical experiments in wood. In his spare time, Nicholas could be found there on a carpet of wood shavings, working on his latest design piece.
It was in 1993 that he bravely stepped into self-employment for something he believed in and was determined to achieve. His business of furniture designer and maker was born. In his workshop in Wirksworth, his commissions over the years have ranged from jewellery boxes and console tables to dining and bedroom suites.
In 2008/09 his signature blanket chest was displayed at New Walk Museum and Art Gallery in Leicester. The chest was commissioned for the Earnest Gimson and the Arts and Crafts Movement exhibition, and is now part of the museum’s permanent collection.
Recent years have seen Nicholas expand his talents into the ecclesiastical arena across the country, supplying churches from Northumberland to Berkshire. These commissions include an altar, lecterns, a Holy Oils cabinet, and credence table.
