Nicklin Artworks crafts frames from recycled timbers, primarily hardwoods from old Kenyan fishing boats that are no longer sea-worthy.

The business was set up ten years ago by Chris Nicklin, an artist who was brought up in the coastal town of Malindi. Finding old pieces of driftwood washed up on the beach inspired him to buy an abandoned boat from a local fisherman. It was to be the first of many.

The boats – ngalaus or canoes, horis and Arab dhows - are built from various woods including mvuli, mango and mbamba kofi. The timber is full of character and grain - worn and scarred from many years of fishing up and down the coast.

Each frame we produce is slightly different. Each frame is branded, has a story about its origins and is packaged in a recycled brown paper bag.

To recycle these wonderful hardwoods is essential – 80% of Kenya’s indigenous forests have been destroyed in recent years and only 2% of the country remains forested.