Craftsman Dean Malcolm lives a creative life conjuring up designs for incredible locally made wood products

Master craftsman Dean Malcolm has been woodturning since he built his first lathe out of an old lawnmower at the age of 14. After 40 years of working with wood, Malcolm lives his life in many creative ways. Originally crafting things by hand, he has been continuously evolving his trade to keep up with a competitive industry. “When I started out it was totally handmade, it was a process of working on a lathe,” he said. “What’s happened is over the 40 years since then I’ve evolved and changed. It doesn’t mean I don’t still use the old skills sometimes but I don’t craft work in the same way as I did perhaps most of the time. “What I do more now is design new things and build machines to allow me to do different work using a lot of high-tech equipment.” Malcolm creates everything from small tourist souvenirs through to functional homewares, sculptures, turned artworks and furniture. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in industrial design, the Perth-born craftsman moved to the south coast in 1985 to pursue his passion in woodturning. In his mind, he is one of the luckiest people on the planet, getting to do what he loves for a living. “For me nothing compares to creating something of beauty which is truly original and unique,” he said. “I love working with wood — the most sustainable material available to mankind.” Dedicating his life to teaching, demonstrating and sharing his passion, Malcolm spent 20 years establishing and teaching a woodcraft course through South Regional TAFE Albany, a course which stopped running in 2000. “It was a great shame because I think a lot of people got a lot of good out of that course but I also think to try and do that course today a whole different range of skills and capabilities would need to be addressed,” he said. The South Coast Woodworks Gallery in Young Sidings was opened in the 2000s, allowing Malcolm to share his artistic creations with the public. The collection now focuses on some of the finest woodwork from Albany, Denmark and Walpole with another gallery also established four years ago on York Street in the heart of Albany. “We were the first shop to hit the street that was 100 per cent locally made,” he said. The gallery stocks about 150 product lines ranging from dining tables and chairs to key chains and brooches. “We’re always developing new products and also adapting or modifying,” he said. “The sketch book is always full, there are always ideas — the biggest challenge is to find enough time to develop all of them to fruition.” Malcolm works as a team with his partner Jackie who designs the graphic elements on some of the wood products. The couple find inspiration everywhere, never limiting themselves to one source. “The biggest challenge is keeping your mind open to possibilities so that whenever you’re looking at things you think ‘oh, that’s an option or that’s an opportunity’,” he said. “I think we stay ahead of the curve by not following any trends. “We design things that transcend fashion beyond the fashionable trends of today and those are the things that will last the test of time.” One of Malcolm’s career highlights was crafting a gift for Queen Elizabeth in 2000. The gift was a spherical box with a finely fluted surface, with another sphere inside it designed to show off the qualities of local timber such as jarrah and sheoak. “When the royal visit was announced there was a search to find people worthy of making something for the Queen. “I received a call one day to say I was chosen ... it came out of the blue,” he said. “It was a useless object, what else do you give to a queen? She doesn’t need a rolling pin.” After 40 years as a designer-maker, the master craftsman is still keen to push the boundaries of his craft. “On occasions customers have been moved to tears when visiting my gallery or shop. “That’s my greatest reward.”