Jason Mosseri

Hopesprings

Chair maker

©Alun Callender

©Jonathan Bassett

Freshly cut chairs

Jason's work is rooted in his heritage
He sources timber from responsibly managed woodlands
He is a teacher as well as a craftsman

Jason Mosseri has been a painter, club decorator, tattoo artist and general creative rebel. He also developed a surprising interest in traditional chair making, crediting Paul Hayden with getting him hooked on the craft. In 2017, Mosseri packed up his tattooing machine in favour of setting up a woodworking workshop. It may seem like leap, but there is a residual sense of art meeting the body. Mosseri makes beautiful, functional chairs from green wood – wood that is fresh cut. This softer wood allows him to shape using traditional tools and methods. His timber is sourced from local estates which are managed by experienced woodsmen, promoting healthy and diverse woodland.

Interview

©Alun Callender

Are there parallels between tattooing and making a chair?: In a way. Both tattooing and chairmaking are traditions, they are both functional crafts. They are just different mediums and forms of expression. Same skillset, different tools. I enjoy working within the boundaries of “the body” and “a chair”.
Do you train apprentices?: Not yet, but I teach classes and hope one day to train apprentices. Chairmaking is a listed Heritage Craft, although it is not listed as endangered, it is not commonly practiced in the traditional way. It uses a very particular set of techniques.
Is a connection to landscape very important?: Yes. In the UK, Windsor chairmaking is a traditional rural craft. Many chair parts were produced seasonally in the woodland landscape by ‘bodgers’. I conduct my courses in a covered woodland workshop, surrounded by the materials that we use.
What is special about the materials you choose to work with?: They are harvested locally, within 50 miles of my workshop. I generally work with fresh, or ‘green’ wood, usually Ash. It’s a great timber, it splits – or cleaves – well. It is suitable for woodturning and steam bending, two of my main techniques.

Jason Mosseri is a master artisan: he began his career in 2012 and he started teaching in 2017