For Phillips, the shed is both archive and muse: a place of objects meticulously preserved, each with a history and a story to tell. Poutney, meanwhile, captures the people, places, and moments that surround these structures, revealing the life and communities they inhabit.

Together, their work transforms the humble shed into a lens for curiosity, creativity, and storytelling, inviting viewers to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary and to see these familiar spaces with fresh eyes.

Jon Pountney-

Jon Pountney first picked up a “real” camera in 1995, a gift for his 17th birthday from his Nan. From that moment, he began his creative journey as a photographer and artist, exploring photography, painting, and drawing at college and university. Since leaving formal education, he has undertaken a series of self-initiated and collaborative projects, ranging from a residency in a castle to a photography documentary commissioned and exhibited by the BBC.

His work reflects years of observing and thinking about photography and his place within it as an artist. Pountney’s photographic aesthetic is simple and direct: to capture interesting places and moments in time and share them with others. He makes art to communicate his sense of wonder, with themes shaped by his interest in people, place, and history. Far from being a mere spectator, he often becomes an active member of the communities that inform his practice. Driven by storytelling through still or moving images, his familiarity with his subjects brings credibility and empathetic interpretation, vitalising his work with authenticity and depth.

Lee John Phillips-

Lee John Phillips began a year-long creative exercise on 1 January 2013, committing to produce a drawing a day in the same sketchbook. Early in the project, he developed a fascination with scissors, which soon expanded to hand tools, then tools in general — a curiosity sparked during a visit to his grandmother’s shed, once belonging to his late grandfather.

Continuing the ‘drawing a day’ exercise in 2014, Phillips focused each entry on an item from the shed. He quickly realised the sheer volume and variety of objects made the original approach impractical. Drawn to the space not just by the tools but by the meticulously organised collections of miscellaneous items, he made the decision to take an unpaid sabbatical, remortgage his home, and fully commit to what would become The Shed Project.

The shed, maintained by his grandmother Myrtle as a mausoleum for her late husband Handel Jones, contained countless objects, all preserved, sorted, and never discarded. Phillips established rules to ensure every item received equal attention, regardless of size or significance: draw every object that can be picked up without crumbling; document contents of opened packets; preserve unopened packets as found; and draw all multiples. The collection is estimated to contain over 100,000 items. What was initially planned as a three-year project has no fixed timeframe; to date, Phillips has illustrated almost 9,000 items and is working through his third sketchbook, with the project intended as a lifelong endeavour.

The Shed Project has been widely recognised, selected for the Sir Kyffin Williams Drawing Prize, the Jerwood Drawing Prize, and the John Ruskin Prize, and winning the Zealous Prize for storytelling. His 2013 Drawing a Day book won the professional category of the Welsh Drawing Book Exhibition. The project has also been supported by the Arts Council of Wales. Phillips has lectured on the project at the Royal College of Art, London, UWTSD Swansea, and Carmarthen School of Art.

Alongside this personal practice, Phillips is a freelance illustrator and designer, working internationally across branding, clothing, product packaging, how-to manuals, concept art, and medical illustration. He also carves spoons professionally and teaches the craft internationally.