The craft of brushmaker and woodturner Lucinda Goulden
From N Magazine No.6. Words by Aoife Long. Images by Lucinda Goulden
Hello! In this week’s edition of the N Magazine newsletter, we chat to Lucinda Goulden, the UK based artist who creates the most delicate wooden makeup brushes. Bringing a feminine flair to a traditionally male dominated craft, Lucinda’s art has wide appeal; you may recognise Lucinda’s work from her feature on BBC.
Wandering through a festival led Lucinda Goulden to a wood carving tent; ten minutes turned into several months in Wales learning the secrets of wood whittling.
Spoon carving led to cabinet making and the discovery of woodturning led to a much faster rate of production.
Fusing her new found love of woodcrafting with a long time fascination with makeup and fashion, Lucinda began to handcraft makeup brushes. Using natural fibres and rare woods, Lucinda produces delicate and beautiful makeup brushes. Each brush making artist has a signature method of fibre tying; Lucinda will eventually pass on the technique of this endangered craft but right now, it’s unique to her and only her.
Perfect for those who value handcrafted items, these brushes are meant to be treasured and used in a moment of meditation every morning.
Being one of only three businesses making handcrafted makeup brushes and soley by hand in England, Lucinda takes inspiration from antique and vintage beauty items, which were so personalised, with names engraved.
Lucinda brings that personal touch to her craft; she works slowly in her Wiltshire studio hand tying incredibly soft goat & plant fibres to create the brush heads. There is no metal in Lucinda’s brushes; she carefully ties the fibres together with linen thread, the most complex part of the brush is hidden neatly within the handle.
Lucinda brings a feminine touch to her craft; using naturally purple and pink woods. She doesn’t use any stains or dyes on the wood, preferring to source native and exotic woods with natural flair. One wood called black locust looks quite neutral, but glows fluorescent green under UV.
A master of her craft, Lucinda also creates the most beautiful wooden plates and bowls, hallmarked with silver to hold jewellery, scattered earrings.
Lucinda has built a beautiful audience across the UK, the US and Europe. She has successfully reached beyond the traditionally male woodworking audience, to reach women who appreciate and truly value handcrafted items.
The art of self promotion is a dizzying aspect of running a successful business. The ego must die and thrive seemingly every day. Rejection and huge success are at any moment an inch away. Lucinda advises artists to put themselves forward and see what happens.
She certainly walks the walk; an application on a whim led to Lucinda being on a BBC TV programme focusing on creating a brand. The mentorship and audience of the BBC programme helped enormously but a huge amount of work was still required to launch the brand.
Getting visible can be a double edged sword; it’s important to strike a balance of showing her work is handmade but not revealing the process. Lucinda believes the power of natural fibres is best appreciated in person, but her beautiful product photography comes close.
Lucinda is rightfully protective of her process and designs; she has been approached by numerous brands seeking to mass produce her designs from cheaper materials and those are the good guys who ask. Lucinda thinks mass production would miss the point of her craft made with love and care and I quite agree.
If ever there was an artist primed for collaboration, it would be Lucinda; her slow made pieces would beautifully align with organic skincare brands.
Lucinda is currently on the lookout for fibre artists like lace workers and natural dyers to create bags for her brushes. Hint hint aligned artists!
With two young children, Lucinda aims to build a brand with longevity. With plans to expand her range of items which so powerfully invite presence, those who love handmade crafts will be sure to find the perfect gift within her store. We can’t wait to see what comes next for this artist.
You can find Lucinda on social media @lucindagoulden and her website www.lucindagoulden.co.uk
Amazing art! Makes me wish I wore make up!