Residency at North Lands Creative

In August of 2018, I had the privilege to undertake an artist-in-residence position at North Lands Creative in Lybster, Scotland.

As the residency was only three weeks, I worked solidly in the studio, and was able to work through a number of projects and work with a number of different glass processes, including blowing, kiln-forming, enamelling, cutting, coldworking, hot joining and fire polishing. Having unlimited access to the facilities gave me a chance to experiment rather broadly, utilise so much of the equipment. I worked through some ideas around place, and the sacred, and using the local sacred sites as a point of reference. The studio has a great set-up for wheel engraving, which is a very traditional way of creating imagery and cameo. I experimented with cameo engraving, and fusing layers of engraved glass to make one image within a piece. I also tested using engraved pieces as an inclusion in solid glass.

I also worked with high-fire enamelling as another way to add imagery and depth to a blowing work-I made one piece that was relatively successful by layering sheets of enamelled glass on a blown glass bubble in the hotshop, then melting in fully to blow into a form.

I also worked on more design-led pieces, using various coldworking processes to make nesting vessels. This I was an idea that I hadn’t had a chance to develop until this residency, and was glad to see it develop to a finished piece.

I feel this residency was extremely productive for me and I feel I have a number of new pieces to work on and develop for exhibition-I have outlined in more detail the work I developed with the accompanying images. North Lands Creative were very accommodating and helpful, and provided a great studio with a lot of freedom and space to develop work uninterrupted. North Lands provided the ideal setting to immerse myself in the studio, and focus on working through ideas and techniques to develop new work. The remote landscape is incredibly inspiring, and an ideal location for creative thinking.