Charis Jones

1
Sculpted Steel
Charis Jones
Sculpted Steel creates unique hand forged steel
products for gardens and interiors. Bespoke
commissions are undertaken, allowing you to have
a one-off creation designed to your own
specifications My customers are anyone wanting to
own a unique work of art. I produce work for
domestic, corporate and public sector clients .
The high quality of my products combined with the
uniqueness of my designs are the main selling
points of my work.
The Enterprise Fellowship Scheme
What have been the best bits of the
programme? The continual support and advice have
been invaluable, and having the finances to buy
essential equipment has made starting the
business possible How has the training and
mentoring support helped you? Being taught the
building blocks of setting up and running a
business has been very valuable. The mentoring
has meant that I have avoided expensive mistakes
and had another point of view to listen to when
making decisions. What have you learned about
yourself whilst on the programme? How little I
know and how much there is still to learn! But
also how innovative I actually am and just how
determined I am to succeed. How has the programme
built your confidence to try new ventures? Having
the belief of the team and mentors has made me
much more confident about my products and my
skills. It has given me the confidence to accept
a number of opportunities which I would not have
attempted before. What advice would you have for
any students considering applying to EFS? Go for
it!

• What new skills have you gained?
• Too many to list! The last 6 months have been a
  huge learning curve where I have gained awareness
  with every task I have taken on. Rising to
  challenges and completing commissions has given
  me the confidence to attempt more.
• What has your business achieved so far?
• I have completed a number of sizeable
  commissions, including creating 3 sculptures for
  the Chatterley Whitfield Colliery Regeneration
  project and producing the award trophies for
  Stoke Your Fires Animation Festival.
• I have been selected to exhibit in 3 Art in the
  Garden Exhibitions over the summer.
• I have also been shortlisted for a major National
  competition, PewterLive. Judging takes place in
  June
• What opportunities are open to you as a result of
  the programme that you might not otherwise have
  had?
• The opportunity to make a success of my own
  business.

Where will you and your business be in 2 years
time?
I aim to stretch my boundaries in order to
acquire larger scale commissions and build a
strong reputation as an exciting, innovative
artist.
EFS Fellow Charis Jones 55 Priory Road,
Stoke-on-Trent W www.sculptedsteel.co.uk E
charis_at_sculptedsteel.co.uk T 07963-523824
Programme Details W www.staffs.com/enterprise
E speedandefs_at_staffs.ac.uk Tel [phone]