Ex-tradie George Corke shares his story of artistic desire crafting ‘functional art’

George Corke is the mastermind behind unique furniture items he describes as “functional art” made of wood and steel. For many years, Corke has been creating timber and metal furniture pieces and sculptures in a 1920 workshop on a property in Mt Barker. The workshop was established about six years ago when Corke decided to take his trade seriously. “I started out as a carpenter and joiner at 16,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do art and design but back then boys weren’t encouraged to do art ... they’d have to go off to do a trade, so I ended up in the building industry all my life with timber and steel, and then I decided about six years ago I’d do this seriously, so that’s how this came about.” In his woodcraft and blacksmith shop, Corke works by creating and designing pieces that are unique. Visitors can feel and smell the elements of his environment as he is immersed in steel, wood and fire. His workshop is located in an apple packing shed built in 1920, with his creations displayed in a purpose-built gallery. Corke’s materials are sourced from the refurbishment of the Mt Barker apple coolstores built in 1918, and is now known as Corkescrew Gallery and Workshop. Corke said the 100-year-old shed “is a perfect complement to the works I exhibit made from WA timbers, new and recycled”. “I like making art pieces that are functional,” he said. “I love the challenge of mixing the two together — steel and timber — it’s quite challenging but that’s my thing, I steer away from commissions. “I don’t do commissions; I do have people come and ask to do certain pieces but prefer to make my own art pieces and then display them out in the gallery — if people like them they buy them,” Corke’s mission is to make wood interesting. “My main inspiration is trying to create something different out of timber to appreciate what can be done,” he said. “A lot of woodworkers go away and say ‘I’m going to do that one day’. “I think I’ve inspired a few of them to give it a go, and if you make a mess, it doesn’t matter.” Corke said he rose to fame after a Facebook video showing his stylish cabinet with evolution doors — hinged doors that open out and twist in one origami-like move — went viral. According to the woodcrafter, he is one of the only crafters in his trade to combine wood and steel in one project. “I think it’s quite unique but can be challenging,” he said. “My wife’s father was a blacksmith who is now 94 years old and still quite fit. He was the one who got me interested in blacksmithing and I wanted to meet some of his apprentices in the dying trade who moved into the artistic side of blacksmithing, which is what this is.” With a huge resume of experience behind him, Corke gets back to the trade’s roots by only using traditional methods. “All blacksmithing is old and traditional. I still use a charcoal forge and hammers,” he said. “I do like old methods, even with woodworking — you won’t find any fancy routers or things like that here. “I like to be authentic and use all hand tools where I can. “That’s how I do it.” Considered a well and truly seasoned local, living in the region for 40 years, Corke has moved about within Mt Barker. “We’re on 20 acres now. Before that we were on the other side of town,” he said. “I wanted to do this work so I needed more space to make noise and not disturb people.” His motivation is to design pieces of furniture or sculptures that are unique, collectable, and could be considered antiques of the future that highlight the beauty of WA timbers. Corke said he tended to work with jarrah but also created pieces out of sheoak, karri and tuart. The piece he is most proud of is a sculpture titled Wire at War, created to commemorate the beginning of World War I, which was awarded the judges’ prize at Art in the Park in 2015.