John Makepeace part 2 from yesterday

Yep, where was I. John Makepeace. When I landed in the obscure artland of designer maker furniture I was educated in the movements brief history. There were many bitchy, jealous tales of Makepeace. My closest coolege friend left after our first year to go work for him. Paul Stevens is a superb craftsman who, were it not for him and our competitive nature and the tutelage of Hugh Scriven I probably would have gone down the fine art route. Paul had been juniour world power lifting champion and applied this zen sporting approach to his making. I had my art angle. He drew out the best in me and to this day the best quallity objects I have made were either in competition or in demonstration that his choice to go work for John and give in on what was his weaker side , design, was a mistake.
The first Makepeace pieces I saw were in books. I wasn't very impressed. I took a trip to Ramez Gazouls gallery in Prestbury and saw one of his tables and totally changed how I saw his work. I went to Parnham to see Paul and have a look round the workshop and at what was being made. To this day I have not seen an environment to compare. I visitted several times before Paul left and came to Buckinghamshire to join me where I had already done a year. His making skill was so out of proportion to those around him yet his mind closed to design direction that it didnt work for him.
Since then each time I have seen a new Makepeace it has been as exciting as seeing a new Hirst. Sometimes they are a bit crap, the fruit table was awful. But the sand dune chest of drawers that appears to have changed Martin Griersons designing in one fell swoop was poetry. Seen in the flesh at a show at Olympia, at the time I was designing exhibition stands, ( mine won an award by the way) reminded me just how good he is. And also, I have had this with many other visual artists, you HAVE to see them in the flesh. No photograph can reproduce the tird dimension, or is it the 5th effectively. Never right off an artist until you have seen thier work in the flesh and never until you have seen a few. Makepeace is a serious artist and an important one. However, the sycophancy of many on the furniture makers forum reveals that perhaps they ought to change thier oevre. Though, as these postings suggest, I have huge respect for his work, he is one designer maker following his avenue, there are many other great ones out there and looking at others where self expression should be the starting point seems pointless. If you can't offer anything in his field of object, try another.
Big up to all makers.