At Oakwood Tourism and Crafts we work closely with a dedicated team of gifted local producers and crafts-people. These are based mainly on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula but also include a number of specialists from the wider Lochaber region.
Below you’ll find a short biography of a few of our producers. If you’d like to join our team and sell your craft or art work through the Oakwood shop in Strontian then please get in touch with our Shop Manager, Laura Wilson: oakwood@sunartcommunitycompany.co.uk
Vince Batting
Vince is an experienced woodworker and carver, a practice he developed after many years working as a steel engineer. Today, he creates pieces that range from furniture to bowls and coasters, all made from local sustainably-sourced timber.
Everything is made by hand or turned using a traditional wood-turning lathe, and where appropriate finished with beeswax oil and wax to make it food-safe. Vince is happy to work on unique commissions.
Jean J. Campbell (Studio Six Glass)
Jean has been working in glass for some twenty years and sells both locally and to commission. Although she comes from a family of artists she is largely self-taught. She is particularly interested in creating items in fused glass, such as one-off jewellery pieces and unique items for the home.
Jean lives in Strontian on a croft on the shores of Loch Sunart and has always been influenced by her surroundings. She has always had a particular affinity with air and water, while more recently she’s begun to draw inspiration for her from poetry.
She set up her small business at home – Studio Six Glass – in 2005. She now has a small but adequate workshop with a flatbed kiln, sandblaster and tools of the trade. She also runs classes in her studio.
Lynn Coldwell (Sunart Gallery and Crafts)
Lynn is a proud Yorkshire lass who moved to Strontian 16 years ago.
From an early age she always loved drawing and painting. She attended Jacob Kramer College to study exhibition design, which led her into a successful career in construction and 3D design. Over the years she has been awarded various design awards, both in the UK and internationally.
Since moving to Strontian Lynn re-opened the original craft shop in the village, next to the campsite. Going back to her first love of painting she has produced artwork that has gone as far afield as New Zealand and Australia. She prints and produces cards and mounted prints in house.
Lynn’s abilities hold no bounds, as you can see from the crafts she produces for Oakwood. You can also see her work at Sunart Gallery and Crafts, next to Sunart Camping.
Justine Dunn
Justine loves working with all textiles, but her main passion is sewing. She loves to use African fabrics and tweeds/woollen fabrics. Justine both makes clothes for herself as well as items that she feels will be of most use to her customers; for example, peg bags, zipped purses, sun hats, cushions and so on.
She also indulges in decorative items such as African fabric mounted deer heads. Her best-selling item is a self-designed waterproof pocket-sized seat pad called a Dry Patch. You’ll find them at Oakwood Tourism and Crafts.
Christine Nator
Christine moved a few years ago into what she describes as a wild and primal landscape. This is reflected in her Ecoprinting. Christine uses real leaves and flowers collected from her croft or while out dog walking, to create amazing prints, capturing the beauty of the area on fabric. Most of her fabric comes from reused sheets, duvet covers or curtains.
The entire process is long and slow, from finding the right fabric, which needs to be boiled and mordanted, to collecting wild things to print with, then places, rolls and steams them sandwiched in two layers. As Christine says, “I can’t tell you the excitement when unrolling new prints, as they are never as expected, making every one different”. She then incorporates her amazing fabrics into bags, cases, cards, wraps etc. Each one unique!
Christine is always on the lookout for new things that she can use to create prints. If you’ve ideas or have a bespoke request then you can contact her at the Oakwood.
Gill Wilson
Gill Wilson is an award winning, professional artist, who moved to Strontian from Wester Ross in 2014. Her paintings are in collections worldwide. She is largely self-taught although has been hugely inspired and influenced by Seago and, nearer to home, Tom Shanks.
She has had solo Exhibitions in Edinburgh and at the Green Gallery, Aberfoyle, plus small group Shows in Canada, France, England and Scotland.
Gill loves working ‘en plein aire’, whatever the weather, believing that this method of painting captures the essence and atmosphere of the West Highlands. She works mostly in watercolour but also enjoys mixed media, pastels and oils. She’ll sometimes complete entire paintings outside but, more often, creates preliminary watercolour sketches to finish in her Studio/Gallery in Strontian. This is open from March to the end of October, and you’ll find many of her sketch books plus a wide selection of her work.
Laura Wilson (Ember Glass)
Laura is the artist behind Ember Glass, a small, locally based glass painting business. Her work is inspired by the natural beauty of the Sunart area, where she grew up and continues to live with her family.
Every glass is carefully designed and hand-painted by Laura, making every item completely unique.
Ember Glass began as a creative hobby and has grown into something much more meaningful. The name brings together her family and her craft, being inspired by Laura’s two children, Dylan (meaning water) and Ember (fire), together with very elements used to transform sand into glass.
Painting these glasses allows Laura to combine her love for art, nature, and community. Whether it’s a special gift or a bespoke commission, she puts real care and attention into every piece made.