“Woodworking is an inherently mindful activity, and nothing matches the satisfaction of seeing, appreciating and using something that you have made by hand.”
Ellis teaches a range of woodworking courses at the Rycotewood Furniture Centre, including beginners and intermediate woodworking and woodcarving. He joined us just over two and a half years ago.
Always wanting to create and make things—Ellis was the archetypal Lego, Airfix models and Warhammer-obsessed child. Then, in 2020, with the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic all around, he took an evening class in woodcarving and never looked back. Moving to Oxford in 2021, he left his office job in Whitehall and took Rycotewood’s City & Guilds Furniture Making course, graduating with distinction last year.
Ellis says “There is a deep-rooted elemental joy in working and making with natural materials, particularly–from my point of view–wood. Away from screens and digital interferences, woodworking is an inherently mindful activity, and nothing matches the satisfaction of seeing, appreciating and using something that you have made by hand.”
Alongside his furniture and sculptural work, Ellis enjoys spending time with his son, heavy metal music, festivals, camping, the outdoors, cricket and football.
