Wimbledon Artists Studios – Page 4

Memories are Made of This.

This week I have been making test pieces; some for commissions but others using clays which people have brought me to experiment with. The results have been mixed but some have been really lovely and I am excited about the promise which they hold.

20151114_093020 — Test pieces lined up on the window sill.

Of particular note is a piece using material from the hole which was dug last winter outside my family home of 50 years by the men who were replacing the gas main. They were digging it round when I thought it should have been square! and they looked at me as if I had lost my marbles when I asked them to let me have some of the material from the bottom of it but I think I might be going to get the last laugh!

It is really important to me that this material can be worked into a thing of beauty. The hole from which it came was directly outside the front gate to the home that my parents bought when I was ten years old. My siblings and I spent our formative years living here; I got married from this house; both my children were baptised from this house. Copious tears and shrieks of laughter have been shed around the kitchen table here and now it is being sold.

In fact, indirectly, the hole is involved in the sale of our home. If it had not been for the gas men digging it, Dad would have had no trouble parking his car and the con men who came to his aid, and then abused his trust by subjecting him to a dreadful scam, would not have upset his equilibrium to such an extent that he was no longer able to stay there surrounded by happy memories.

So this material is for a commission of sorts: Its for me! The finished piece will take pride of place somewhere in my home. I think I might even build a special shelf for it. I don’t exactly want a shrine for my childhood. It was good, but not that good! I just feel pleased at the idea of having something so closely related to so many happy memories in full view.

Home Alone

Last week the lovely Regina moved out of my studio. We had been sharing for about 3 years and it had worked really well. I know for absolute certain that I would not be where I am now if she had not suggested that we might share a studio together.

015 — Regina throwing one of her minute pots just after we moved in.

I remember our first open studios. I was so nervous that I simply could not sit still. I had to go for a walk half an hour before the kick off because my leg muscles were twitching so much! We have both come such a long way since then. Both of us have gained a huge amount of confidence. I have completed the ceramics diploma and she has virtually completed a course in silver smithing and jewellery making which has seen her incorporating her ceramic work into beautiful rings.

Now we have come to a parting of the ways. I suppose the time was probably right. Regina needs somewhere to work where she can solder, which is difficult at Wimbledon due to the fact that they are not very keen on naked flames and, to be honest, I was spreading so much that I was in danger of backing Regina into a small corner much of the time. So she has packed up her wheel and gone. I shall miss her! I enjoyed her company and I loved her work and I wish her well. IMG_20160610_091653 When I arrived at the studio for the first time since she had packed her bags it seemed very empty! So, since this marks the beginning of a new era – the first time I have ever had my very own studio – I decided to give it a lick of paint and then spread myself. I am very sorry, Regina, but it really hasn’t taken me very long to move into your side and I have to confess I am loving the fact that it is my mess.

You have been a great friend and I wish you all the best, wherever you end up making. What ever happens, don’t stop creating!

Meanwhile, Studio 403 is now open for business and for those of you who have been waiting to hear from me about some work: Thank you for you patience and I am getting right onto it now.