the maclaurin magazine autumn 2020 · 2020. 8. 27. · autumn 2020 “heron” by vanessa lawrence....

MaclaurinCRAFT EDITION AUTUMN 2020The

“Heron” by Vanessa Lawrence

EDITOR’S NOTE

Welcome to the second completely online issue of the Maclaurin Magazine. I know before all Friends and visitors got a printed copy, but you could if you wished also read these issues online. But now due to Covid19 that choice has been removed, rather like a lot of other choices that seem to have been removed from us over the last few months. So online and onwards we go! This edition is dedicated to the wealth of wonderful crafts people we have in the south west of Scotland. Last time you will remember we asked painters to share their Lockdown experiences, this time it is the turn of these talented and dedicated craftsmen and women to share their lockdown experience with us. I know you will enjoy seeing the wonderful range of work they have allowed us to share. It was with real pleasure and a little trepidation that we re-opened two galleries to the public on the 27th July. The Rozelle staff have done a terrific job getting everything ready for visitors with hand sanitizers and social distancing stickers on the floor to make sure all is as safe as it can be. The courtyard looks very spruce too thanks to Trains who replanted all the urns and dotted lovely pots of orange begonias around to make the space even more welcoming. (see photograph) I hope you have visited and if not that you will do soon, as galleries three and four have a selection of our own Maclaurin Collection on view and later in the autumn Ian McKinnell whose work we featured as an online exhibition on our website is going to exhibit more of his work in gallery four. And do visit Toni’s tearoom too which has also been altered to allow for social distancing. Outside on the patio you will find colourful new tables and umbrellas and of course dogs are always welcome there too. Meantime however, the Tearoom is only open from Wednesday to Sunday And more news of things moving online. The Wigtown Book Festival nd the Boswell Book Festival along with Spring Fling are going to happen online in October. Read all about them in this issue. I hope you will enjoy this edition of the magazine. I am sure you will find the words of our craftspeople expressing their feelings during these strange times both moving and informative and I know you will love the photographs of their work.

Editor

2www.themaclaurin.org.uk

This edition is dedicated to the wealth of wonderful crafts people we have in the south west of Scotland.

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Before lockdown there was a lot of travelling, and mounting concerns about the health of my family. Strangely, much was resolved by March and the world coming to a standstill was a great relief. No workshops or community projects, but time to take in the world around me, watch, sketch and work.

My work has changed dramatically in recent years, from making in willow to sculpting in steel. I love working in steel, drawing in space, fixing ideas in an instant, the focus of welding and the repetition of finishing. An exhibition of my sculptures at Caerlaverock WWT has been postponed until 2021, but as the geese left and swallows arrived new possibilities dawned. A large squirrel commission, an origami crane realized in steel, and wall pieces for an artist pledge.

Any crisis brings opportunity for change, I may no longer teach or run workshops but I feel closer to the world around me, open to new possibilities.

www.geoffforrest.co.uk

Geoff Forrest

Squirrel maquette

Peace Crane Maquette

Swallow


Vanessa LawrenceThese past few months have been challenging in many ways and for a good part of the time I struggled with not achieving as much artistically as I had initially set out for myself. My making time has always been limited as I have a young family as well as running art classes from my studio, so I have a tendency to aim to achieve as much as possible whenever possible. Being forced to stop the regular routine has allowed for an element of space to slow down and focus. There are always uncertainties and challenges being a small business but I have found the support network from friends, the people who follow my work and fellow artists/makers throughout this time has been even stronger than ever which makes me feel very excited and positive moving forward.

Sun Birds

Fell RunnerTogether

Along the Moors

Stormy Skies Sitting Hare

Heron

Boxers Shadow

Vanessa Lawrence

Linda Todd


I am a Textile Artist, working in my studio in Ayr. During the lockdown this safe creative space was a haven. Most days I worked from 10am – 4pm as I tried to make sense of the various changes and restrictions that came flooding out initially. It was upsetting to have such confusion and social distancing was strange to begin with. I looked around my studio and took stock. There was plenty of resources, I had wood, driftwood, fabrics, threads and a stockpile of materials I had collected so that wasn’t a disadvantage. Lack of interaction with people was going to be difficult as I was so social. Covid – 19 has made 2020 a year of adapting and focussing on positivity, hoping for the best and above all rolling with the changes.

www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LindaToddArt www.facebook.com/LindaToddArt

Butterfly Cushion

Nest


Linda ToddIt did feel strange not being able to scour the beach, or visit charity shops for ‘finds’, a familiar constant was social media. I used Facebook and Instagram and the internet was buzzing daily with art created and conversations about reactions to lockdown. I decided to do the Meet the Maker Challenge and that gave me a focus for the month of March. My customer base increased and suddenly I became very busy. It led me to re-opening my Etsy Shop online and thankfully the local post office nearby allowed customers around the world to keep purchasing, the service was very efficient. I took part in a few virtual Art & Craft fairs at The Grain Exchange, and Harbour Arts Centre. Working this way really suited me, I could create from my studio post it online and physically post it all over the world. I offered a card writing and gift wrapping service for people who were shield-ing and this was very popular. Commissions came out of people wanting a special artwork or cushion to help people cope and find hope in all the uncertainty.

To begin with I was staring into the unknown with the lockdown but my craft of embroidery was so adaptable towards making it tolerable. Embroidering cushions and panels became such a mindful activity, many hours were spent calmly stitching and planning designs. Moonlight Hare

Flower Garden

Every cloud has a silver lining

Lockdown made me look at what was really important to me and what was not. My family and friends were at the heart of what really mattered. Opening my shop was just the project I needed to sustain everything I was creating. Online the many friends and my customers kept in regular contact and this support had such a healing affect

Margaret MacDonald

Working in clay during lockdown has been interesting. I have had plenty of time to be more creative. With less demand for work and despite the usual amount of displacement activity, such as clearing cupboards and gardening, I have managed to get into projects I had been putting off for ages. Printing photographic images onto clay before firing using a litho-graphic technique is something I’ve been wanting to try. The results, using old family photos as a reference are still a work in progress but I will persevere!. Painting has also taken up a lot of my time and it is very satisfying being able to incorporate a wee jug that I recently made into a still life with daisies. Happily, the creative journey continues.

www.themaclaurin.org.uk

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www.margaretmacdonaldceramics.co.uk



In the days leading up to the lockdown, I was finalising drawings for 3 commissions and working out what materials I needed to buy. I was going to the glass supplier on the Tuesday morning, but lockdown was announced on the Monday night and everything closed with immediate effect! That was very frustrating, but I fairly quickly realised that everyone was in the same boat and that I had to just get on with whatever I could and not worry about it. And it was great. 3 weeks of finalising my drawings, doing what I could with the materials I had and then enjoying the sunshine! However, I did get to my glass supplier and I could then crack on. I had a commission for a front door stained glass panel on a jazz musician theme. The next commission was for an internal stained glass window for a new house on the Isle of Islay with a view to the Paps of Jura. And the largest commission was to translate artwork from Queen Margaret Academy pupils into stained glass windows for their new school. When the new school opened the pupils and teachers were disappointed that their designs had been made into vinyl stuck onto the windows (2 narrow tall windows and a large cross window). The vinyl was lacking in colour and their designs had not been translated well into the narrow windows. The art teacher Lesley Parham asked if I could make stained glass windows to replace the vinyl. When the schools returned in mid August I was delighted to hear that the pupils were excited to see the new colourful windows.

Leona Stewart Glass

Leona Stewart Glass

Patricia Moon Working at home is the norm so lockdown didn’t present any immediate differences to my daily routine. Listening to the news however made me anxious and gradually uninspired. Just thinking about what Covid19 is doing to my family, friends and our livelihoods literally drove me to switch off the TV and start scoring things off on my never ending “To Do” list.

Flowers are my main source of inspiration and having only moved into my new home a year ago it was always my intention to eventually create a little green space in our desolate back yard. I wanted somewhere we could relax and be inspired by the beauty of nature and so I thought no time like the present This fast became an all-consuming project, I’d no previous experience of plastering or painting walls nor the planting of anything really but already I’ve achieved much more than hoped.

My stunning Cosmos, Dahlias, and Foxgloves are destined to feature in new designs , my worries have eased somewhat, and inspiration is back. I hope others might take solace from my experience and they too will find ways to keep motivated and not let our current situation stop our creative pursuits.

Website: patriciamoon.net

Patricia Moon

As a jeweller , I am at my happiest working away in my workshop creating and designing . When lockdown was announced all my planned exhibitions for the year like Open Studios Ayrshire and local monthly events like Handmade in Ayr were cancelled, also commissions were put on hold. I was feeling anxious and worried about family and friends as Covid-19 infection rates were rising I worried about how it was affecting us all worldwide I had to do something to help myself to focus and be creative ...Music always helps and online bands and djs were streaming live music online from their own homes which was brilliant ! Staying connected online with social media is very important to me and has really helped. Vanilla Ink Jewellery set up an online group for jewellers 'Project Connect ' which was great as

each week we met online through social media keeping us all connected as we had a different project to try every time. I was experimenting with new jewellery techniques and it kept me focused. It was important to be creating again, doing what I love with the extra time I had to spend . Handmade in Ayr alongside the Grain Exchange decided to host online virtual events each month for local Artists. This worked well as it kept us connected again through social media and it advertised our work and our online shops. I am so grateful for all the Artists online content & support through social media during lockdown . Here are some photos of the jewellery I created over the last few months ...some pieces are available for sale on my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LaurieSilverDesigns

Janet Laurie


Maree Hughes“Working from home away from my studio during the lockdown posed restrictions for me regarding my usual daily painting practise. I didn’t have space at home to use oil paints, so I decided to focus on my sewing for a while to try out new ideas. I had been wanting to adapt a few vintage fabric doll patterns for a while but never had the time. An invitation to take part in an online local virtual market gave me a deadline and a focus to finish some of the characters I had been working on. It was a lovely surprise to find out how interactive the online markets are. Even after the lockdown they provide a necessary connection to other artists/mak-ers/browsers plus an incentive to produce new work when so many things have been either postponed or cancelled."


I was in 6th year at Kyle Academy studying Higher Photograph and Advanced Higher Art when lockdown happened. I continued working at home on my paintings for advanced higher, but I then heard that the portfolio was not going to be sent to the SQA, so the motivation to finish everything wasn’t there anymore. Instead I drew designs for stained glass sun catchers and joined my Mum and Dad in the glass workshop. I set up an Etsy on-line shop and I took part in a Handmade in Ayr on-line Market at the end of May and started selling some of my glass which was great. I have now decided that I want to prepare a portfolio and apply to art school next year, hopefully to do Textiles and I have now started drawing, painting and printmaking too. I had always planned on taking a year after school to work, travel and work out my plans for my future, so I hope that won’t change too much in the near future anyway.

Emily Stewart


Emily Stewart


Lockdown, what an intimidating term. The uncertainty around how the world was going to come through it made us nervous and wary, but it wasn’t all negative. In many ways, it was quite the opposite. It allowed us to spend lots of time together and in doing so reflect and re-evaluate; sifting through the important stuff and hopefully teaching us all some valuable lessons that we’d forgotten. From a work point of view I was worried I’d have to hang up my tools for a while (what a dreadful thought!) as I couldn’t imagine people buying jewellery with so much else going on. As it turned out though I needn’t have worried. With people having a bit more time on their hands and also not being able to go out shopping, my online business was very much alive and buzzing. Traffic and interaction with my social channels and website were amongst the highest they’d ever been and I had an influx of enquiries for commissioned pieces. People were more creative and outspoken with their designs which was beautiful. Most clients trusted my ideas which is always very exciting and my creative energy went wild on it. It did, however, mean a lot of late nights catching up with work! One thing that it did take away from me however was people, in particular family and friends. And I’m very excited for the time (soon, I hope) when I can embrace them, spend time with them and love them again.

Violeta Skinner

Exciting news - we are delighted that the Boswell Book Festival has a new set of wheels! The 9 - 11 October 2020 festival will now be a socially distanced Drive-In Festival. Come along to historic Turnberry Airfield to hear compelling stories from a rich mix of au-thors. The best-selling Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen and award-winning journalist Melanie Reid are among authors from our May programme who have signed up to ap-pear, along with exciting new faces. The full programme and tickets will be available in the second week of September with priority booking for Festival Friends.

What to expect!

# Speakers will be on a raised, spacious and covered stage with an 8 metre LED screen al-lowing the audience a great view. Sound will be broadcast over a loud speaker system, as well as straight to car radios using FM radio transmission. # Those unable to attend can listen to the talks via YouTube or similar. # Tickets will be sold per car, not per person, with a maximum of 120 cars per event. The audience will stay in or in front of their cars, if permitted by Government guidelines at the time, parked in a socially distanced chequer-board. # A ‘touch free’ entry system will be in opera-tion as you arrive. # Pre-ordered food and drink supplied by Trump Turnberry Hotel will be delivered to your car window in a safe and socially distanced fashion. Alternatively, a table can be booked in the Hotel Ballroom. # When buying your ticket you will have the option of also buying food and books.

We strive to bring the very best life stories to our audi-ence from near and far and believe that despite the dif-ficulties of this extraordinary year our pioneering autumn event will prove to be a worthy celebration of our 10th anniversary year. Ten years ago, we held the first Festival in conditions that would have daunted many but not our adventurous audience, so we very much hope you will join us over the weekend. We look forward to seeing you soon! Boswell Book Festival team [email protected]


Spring Fling

Spring Fling is bouncing back – after being forced to cancel May’s event the organisers have rescheduled for October. Of course with the ongoing Covid-19 crisis it will be a rather different event than the usual one, which sees around 90 studios across Dumfries and Galloway throw open their doors to welcome about 12,000 visitors.

Upland Arts Development CIC, which organises the event, are working with artists and makers to decide which ones will physically open and make arrangements to ensure that everyone can stay safe. At the same time we will have a lot more online activity, and much more studio information and opportunities to browse and buy via the website. The combined digital/physical Spring Fling will also be longer and runs from 5 to 12 October.

All this means that all the artists, jewellery makers, ceramicists, photographers and others who had been selected to participate in Scotland’s premier open studios event can still be involved if they wish. Details of which studios are open and when will be available from the website and the idea is that the physical side of the event will mainly be for people from south west Scotland. The whole event will build on the success of May’s SF | At Home – our digital event that attracted interest from people all round the world.

Despite the pandemic Upland has also been pushing ahead with a number of other initiatives. These have included A Postcard From D&G, an online exhibition of small-scale work by 38 of its members that celebrate the region and the idea of “wish you were here”.

Among them are Alison Corfield, Alistair Hamilton, Andy Priestman, Angela Lawrence, Catherine Coulson, Deborah Campbell, Denise Zygadlo, Doug Fitch & Hannah McAndrew, Hazel Campbell, Heather Blanchard, Helen Ryman, Hugh Bryden, Jennie Ashmore, Jo Gallant, Julie Hollis, Laura Derby, Lisa Hooper, Lizzie Farey, Pamela Grace, Rosie Dobson, Sarah Keast, Sarah Stewart, Tricia Barna and Val Macadam. It runs from 24 August to 6 September and even if you don’t read this in time for the full exhibition you’ll still be able to download the catalogue and admire some of the pieces.

Artwork by Denise Zygadio

Joanna Macaulay, Assistant Director for Upland Arts Development CIC

It runs from 24 August to 6 September.

Spring Fling

Felt work by Ann Smith

Joanna Macaulay

Another project we have underway is Artful Migration, in which environmental artist John Wallace is working with staff and volunteers at the National Trust for Scotland’s Threave Estate and Garden on a film work about the ospreys which migrate there each year from Africa to breed. Based in Annandale, in the east of the region, he not only plans to explore the lives of the rare birds of prey but also wants to look at the wider ecosystem that supports them, plus their impact on people.

It’s hoped that the project (a partnership with Ginnie Wollaston and Nicholas Parton Philip of Moving Souls Dance which has received funding from Creative Scotland) will be completed in 2021, with John’s work being shown at Threave.

In the meantime we are already looking ahead to next May, with hopes that Spring Fling can return to its usual dates and that we can welcome visitors from all over the world to enjoy the region and its abundance of visual arts and craft.

Painting by Hugh Bryden

Digital Wigtown? They are two words that don’t sit naturally together. The joy of Scotland’s Book Town has always been the serendipity of browsing, not on the internet but among the shelves. The autumn book festival is traditionally a place to meet and greet, catch up with old friends and make new ones. But this year there will be no marquees, and no complaints about parking. The hum of the cafe in the County Buildings cafe will be silenced as the 2028 festival goes online in the face of Covid. Who would have imagined that a year ago? One of the greatest challenges of this brave new digital world has been how to keep the Wigtown-ness of Wigtown. With all the other digital events taking place taking place this year, maintaining the distinctiveness of our Book Town festival has been a priority. In a normal year, Wigtown Book Festival would generate more than £3m for the local economy, mainly through tourist visits. Sadly that won’t be happening this autumn. But more than ever the festival has a role in showcasing the joys of south Scotland to the widest possible audience.

Yes we have a rota of big literary names, from Andrew Marr and Maggie O’Farrell to Sue Black, Richard Holloway and Ayrshire’s Andrew O’Hagan. But perhaps the greatest star will be Wigtown and Galloway themselves, hoping to reach a new audience through the web. Home talent abounds and the opening night will set the tone with the world premiere of a new musical work about St Ninian, created by novelist Alexander McCall Smith and composer Tom Cunningham. While the Wigtown-based Bookshop Band host a daily literary chat show, Diary of a Bookseller author and Book Town stalwart Shaun Bythell offers a sneak preview of his new book about his customers.

Wigtown Book Festival

Andrew Marr

Richard Holloway

The Wigtown Book Festival runs online from 24 September to 4 October 2020.

Wigtown Book FestivalThrough the wonders of technology we will be exploring Wigtown’s saltmarsh in the company of award-winning nature writer Stephen Rutt, taking the plunge with wild swimmer Vicky Allan, and foraging the Solway shore with wild-food expert Mark Williams, all part of Scotland’s Year of Coasts and Waters celebrations. Bladnoch Distillery will be offering a virtual whisky tasting, conducted online with the spirits delivered by post in advance, while The Kist - the festival’s regular craft and food space that celebrates southern Scottish producers - gets a digital makeover. Visual arts have always been a key part of Wigtown Book Festival’s DNA. One of several online exhibitions celebrating our links with the arts and crafts open studios event Spring Fling will be a retrospective for artist Astrid Jaekel, who famously wallpapered many of the Book Town’s buildings to mark the festival’s 20th birthday. And there’s even a sound artist, the enigmatic Stuart McLean, known locally as French Bloke, who will be curating a collection of the Sounds of Wigtown - evocative audio postcards to bring the Book Town to life at a distance.

But delight in our home town doesn’t mean we won’t also be stretching our wings, with authors taking part from as far away as New York, Argentine and Iceland. We’ll also be teaming up for the first time with our sister Book Town in Featherston, New Zealand for the first time. “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis',”, President John F Kennedy famously observed. “One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger - but recognise the opportunity.” This year has certainly been one of danger for Wigtown Book Festival, as it has for most cultural organisations. That we’ve ridden it so far is thanks largely to the many individuals and organisations, big and small, public and private who have given time, energy and (let’s not beat about the bush) money to help us survive. Now, this autumn, we pick up the brush again and try to make the most of an opportunity to communicate in a new way and to find new audiences. We hope you will join us, wherever in the world you are.

The Wigtown Book Festival runs online from 24 September to 4 October 2020. Adrian Turpin Artistic director, Wigtown Book Festival 07971 811653 @wigtownbookfest Shaun Bythell

the maclaurin magazine autumn 2020 · 2020. 8. 27. · autumn 2020 “heron” by vanessa lawrence....

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