Meet the artists: Lake and Oak Coppersmithing

Some of you have already had the pleasure to meet Lake & Oak Coppersmithing when they came to deliver a brilliant workshop here at the Duncairn. Here is a chance to get to know them better.

Can you introduce Lake & Oak? When did you guys create the brand and what do you do?

Lake & Oak Coppersmithing was founded by us in 2020. We started the business when we were in university and while it was a small source of income as aspiring metalworkers, it was more of an outlet for us to offer unique handmade jewellery. We worked predominantly with copper for a while but we have since included silver and steel in our artistic practice. We are also the first to offer coppersmithing workshop in Northern Ireland where people are free to explore their creativity using the techniques we teach.

Who are you guys? Who are the people behind the brand?

We are Matthew and Caron and we’re the two people behind Lake & Oak Coppersmithing! After meeting in Ulster University while pursuing our degrees, we became partners in both business and life.

Your name (Lake&Oak) suggests that nature plays central role in inspiring your designs. Is that correct?

That is right. When we started, our work revolved a lot around marine life and the various types of leaves, which was how we got our logo. It also helps that we are always surrounded by nature in the heart of the Ards Peninsula and we both have hobbies that brings us either to the sea for freediving or to the lush woods in Donegal for wild camping. From that, we were able to channel our experiences into our work.

How does your creative process work?

We like drawing on our experiences as we mentioned previously. Especially for Matthew, the sculptures he made was based on the fish he caught from his fishing trips. For Caron, she likes collecting gemstones and she draws inspiration from the patterns on the stone which she likes to replicate in metal to mimic the gemstone. Besides that, we also look at how things were made in the past traditionally and utilise the techniques in various ways. Working with metal is very interesting in the sense that while we can manipulate its form, it will also do what it wants to do. By understanding how metal works, we are able to better control it and use it to our advantage.

Where can people find you and your items? (Online and in person)

You can find us in our studio at Eden Pottery, Millisle or online on Facebook (Lake & Oak), Instagram (lake_and_oak) and on our website (https://www.lakeandoakcoppersmithing.com/). Our jewellery and metalwork are available in our studio, our website and the Duncairn.