Yep, I've got two hands up here and would have both feet in the air except I'd fall over...... I know reams and reams of stuff have been written over this last year explaining how to cope with everything that has been thrown at us - missing friends then have a zoom catch up, well that's OK but it would take me a week to sort out my background, tidy we are not! Need to get your weekly quiz fix, which of the myriad do you choose from? Box sets and films, there's loads to choose from so how come we go back to the tried and tested - Indiana Jones, tick, James Bond, tick, Stars Wars, tick, you get the picture. There are experts saying how you should look after yourself and make time for just sitting and reflecting, my problem is that I can do this all day, every day without a problem and I don't feel it's a wasted day! Being a natural optimist (to the point where most people just assume I take a happy pill every morning - I don't I promise) I've been really lucky and haven't suffered from a lot of black moods that are definitely doing the rounds but I have misplaced my mojo when it comes to glass work.
I can't just 'do' glass, I need a project or if someone in glass club wants to do a new technique then I have a go beforehand and read up on it to try and make sure we are armed with as much information as possible to give it a fair trial. Fortunately a project appeared on the horizon that also involved a new technique, glass mosaic. Some of you may remember the Bath seahorse, I may have mentioned it was turned into a card - a few times - well here's his short story.
One of the artists behind Worcestershire Open Studios, the very talented Susan Birth , put a call out to artists, who may have been home twiddling their thumbs, to take part in an online exhibition organised by Worcester Museums as part of their 'From the Art Gallery with Love' series asking them to take inspiration from their Roman and Egyptian artefacts. An added bonus was that some of the artworks would be turned into cards and sold for the local Headway charity. Called Echoes of Ancient Art it was clearly fate as my daughter was about to embark on her first year at university doing archeology and art history - I was never going to get a better research partner! A fruitful afternoon was spent going thru' the various techniques, patterns, stories and legends of both dynasties to get ideas and start planning. In the end we went for the Roman mosaic style as we are close to Droitwich Spa which had Bays Meadow Roman villa, once thought to be the only villa in Worcestershire - spoiler alert it's not! - and we were also intrigued by the more famous spa at Bath and in particular their version of a seahorse.
Off she went to university and off I went to the workshop. Never being able to make a decision I ended up making both pieces as whilst the technique is the same for both, the patterns are completely different - obvious I know but..... Fortunately I remembered to take process pictures so I'll let the rest of the story tell itself in picture form.
The cards are available from the website shop with all proceeds going to Headway.