Summers end

​It has been a year of change at work. When new members join a team, they want to put their stamp on the place. Understandable. It was heart-breaking though, the ease at which people disposed of memories that don’t belong to them. I just wanted a bit more time to say goodbye.

It’s not that I am afraid of change, I think I am a resilient individual. However, I was especially happy when the summer arrived this year. And with the summer comes my time, a space when I can make!

The last couple of summers I have experimented with clay. This summer I have been learning jewellery smithing. Which is funny considering I don’t wear any! But wearing it is not the reason; I have been eager to gain the basic skills that will enable me to deliver competent lessons and inspire designers as well as fine artists.

YouTube has always been invaluable when it comes to gaining skills and knowledge. However, because of the specialist tools and materials, I have sought out and attended several classes: soldering silver, forming copper and drilling sea glass.

It is always exciting for me to learn a new skill, but I was not prepared for how exhilarated I would feel learning how to cut, shape, form and solder metal. If I had my time again at art college I would elect to do jewellery instead of painting.

As I examine the pieces I have made, I can’t help comparing what I have created to the classic cars my dad restores. Same skills, different scale.

My dad is a big inspiration to me. I remember clearly when he gifted me my own toolbox when I was a teenager. He has always been available to show me how to make or fix a thing. He is a problem solver, a fabricator, an artisan. What he does is not a chore, it is a joy.
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He has instilled in me the love of skilled labouring. Problem solving and making is what keeps us both growing. We live to make and we make to live.