Our next chat is with John Black - director and design/decorative arts specialist. Quite the craftsman John has been busy building a tree house for the kids and enjoying learning more about the life of British painter, designer, book illustrator and wood-engraver Eric Ravilious.
Not difficult with three boys running amok at home, but more sedate when home schooling started after Easter. The planning behind the scenes for the next six months has been a great team effort (cripes we’re nearly half way through the year..) and with sales to think about it was good to clear the decks and think about the future.
My son Max announced at the beginning of April that he wanted to make nettle soup, we found this recipe and collected nettles from a wood behind the house - one has got to try it!
1 tbsp olive oil , plus extra for drizzling
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 leek,finely sliced
1 large potato, thinly sliced
1l vegetable stock
400g stinging or dead nettles, washed, leaves picked
50g butter, diced
50ml double cream
I’ve destroyed an old tree house and built ‘Hut-19’, bunk beds (for the children) desk (for home working) and a chill out area to get away from it all. I still have ten fingers and ten toes…lockdown with the family has been a steep learning curve and we have all our little projects on the go - and looking after our chickens - Sonic, Trump, Heinz and….Covid
I have to admit that I just love a good book - there’s nothing like reading before you turn out the lights at night - Andy Friend’s ‘Ravilious and Co’ has been great read - getting to know Ravilious and his circle fellow artists and designers with whom he was educated, worked and socialised. The best art documentary that I have seen was Lee Miller ‘A Life on the Front Line’ BBC Two - watch it - an amazing artist, model, lover and photographer.
You can contact John on johnblack@sworder.co.uk | 01279 817778
We are thrilled to launch The Glass Sale - a brand-new addition to our auction calendar! The inaugural sale will take place on Tuesday 28 October and will become a biannual fixture in our calendar going forward.
20 June 2025
We are proud to announce our collaboration with Britten Pears Arts, a pioneering music, arts, and heritage charity based on the Suffolk Coast. Custodians of two iconic and historic sites – Snape Maltings and The Red House – Britten Pears Arts has been a cultural cornerstone since 1948.
19 June 2025
An impressive single-owner collection of Eric Ravilious ceramics will star as one of the standout sections in our upcoming 8 July Design sale.
19 June 2025