Jon Beer
Jon began his studies in furniture making in 1994 when he enrolled onto the City & Guilds Furniture Craft course at the Isle College, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. After three years study he achieved his Advanced Craft certificate, and his coursework was consistently recognised in competitions and exhibitions. During this period he was awarded 3 H.R.H. Prince of Wales Rural Craft Awards, highly commended certificates in 1995 and 1997, and first prize in cabinet making in 1996. Each prize rewarded the quality of the main project completed in each year of study. The third year piece, a reproduction Victorian Davenport in burr walnut also gained critical acclaim and a silver medal in the student category of the International Woodworking and Furniture Exhibition in Ascot, 1997.
During the final year of the course Jon decided to set up in business, and with a grant from the European Rural Development Commission began trading as Jon Beer Cabinetmaker.
The business is based upon bespoke commission work for private clients, but also involves some high quality restoration work and speculative pieces for galleries and exhibitions. The emphasis is on quality of craftsmanship, the pursuit of perfection. Jon works in temperate hardwoods and veneers, utilising the inherent beauty of the materials used.
In September 1998 Jon was approached by his former college in regard to lecturing within the furniture section. Jon teaches one day a week and is course co-ordinator for the evening class. This is a position Jon still relishes, the driving force being the chance to teach like-minded individuals time-honoured skills to the highest standard.
During 2001, in only his fourth year of trading Jon was one of only 75 makers selected for the prestigious Celebration Of Craftsmanship Exhibition in . Three pieces of his work were displayed alongside some of the most respected designer makers in the field. The City & Guilds Institute also rewarded Jon’s work when he received his Licentiateship in November 2001, his first senior award.
February 2002 Jon was selected to join the Furniture Makers Association, the first maker from Cambridgeshire to do so, and at the 2002 annual show at the Forum, Norwich, he won the prestigious Arthur Brett award for Craftsmanship.
He was invited back to exhibit at Celebration of Craftsmanship 2002, and sold 5 of the 8 pieces he exhibited. During the course of the year Jons work was featured in several publications, including The Guardian, BBC Homes & Antiques, and in some of the woodworking monthly magazines.
In May 2002 Jon was one of five people to be awarded a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship, a financial award to enable Jon to complete a degree in Furniture Design and Craftsmanship at College, High Wycombe, commencing September 2002. Jon graduated with BA[hons] Sept 2004