Making The Base

Between packing up the old studio and moving I've had to keep working on my on going projects. I began making the bricks for the base of my 'Castleford Memory Map' at the beginning of this week. Each brick is individually hand cut using a wooden pattern box.


Building up the base, trying to keep levels correct.

I had to move the piece onto a table, as my back began to ache!!
I realized that something was wrong. The walls seemed to be slipping off the vertical. I then noticed that the blocks were uneven...

... another wooden box was constructed and every brick has now been leveled.

Looking better.

The base is going to be carved with a low relief water design to represent the River Aire. The piece will be sited on the banks of the river adjacent to the new footbridge.

Over the next few days the relief design will begin to take shape.

Finally...

That's the moving finished. Today we transferred the final box of stuff to the new studio.
It's been a bit of a slog trying to move and juggle work at the same time. The next few months will be 'interesting' trying to find tools etc. They were all carefully packed in boxes, but goodness knows where they are!!

Getting priorities right... microwave for heating soup and the kettle for the coffee were the first to be unpacked.

This is Fin's 3rd home... perhaps I'll get round to finishing him here!

The Next Chapter

Today, Wednesday 26th August, I signed the lease on the new studio. This is going to be 'home' for the next few years, all 2090sqft of it!

Main entrance.

The yard.

Office/exhibition space leading into main workshop.

Main workshop.

Clay/wet materials room.

Obviously there is quite a lot of work to do. I realise to the uninitiated this merely looks like a big grotty shed... to me it is a whole new begining.
Today we hired a van and started the big lift and shift. I expect this is going to take two or three days.... or perhaps I should say weeks.

SWLP Official Opening

Saturday August 22nd, the official opening of the Waterfront Gardens.
The afternoon began with David Lewis, Heritage Officer, leading a guided walk through the streets to the waterfront.


After the speeches balloons were released to announce the opening.

Members of the team (Landscape Architects, Contractors, Renaissance Officers) brought their families to see what we'd been working on.

I brought my Mum down from Scotland and my nephew joined us from Stoke. The afternoon went really well and people seem to like the end result.

I'm quite pleased with it too!

Time Line

After months of waiting, finally, on Sunday 9th August the Time Line was installed.









I'm really pleased with the end result.

Celebrating Creative Selby

Creative Selby, the networking organisation for creative professionals living and working in Selby District put together an exhibition at Selby Town Hall on the weekend of 7th August. Friday evening saw around 60 invited guests, including local Town and District Councillors, Arts professionals and John Grogan Labour MP for Selby District who were given the opportunity to speak to the artists and learn a little about the creative practitioners in the area. A number of presentations were given by selected organisations as well as a musical performance by Alan Cuckston.

The event was open to the public on Saturday 8th.

There was a good turn out and people were genuinely interested and enthusiastic. I received a great deal of positive feedback and encouragement from taking part. I hope events of this type will be repeated in the future as anything that raises the profile of the creative businesses in the area is worth pursuing.

Re-Launch Completed

A fine sunny Sunday afternoon provided the perfect opportunity to photograph the completed works in Linear Park. Re-Launch is now all pointed and painted.
All that is left to do is install the Time Line. This will happen towards the end of the week... weather permitting.

An HDR image making the sky look very dramatic behind the sculpture.

Miner detail.

Detail of the Medieval Miller.

Mr Miner again... the oars of the boat represent the tree of life/regeneration.

Miner and Miller

Miner and Monk