A Quiet Return It’s been a few years since anything new appeared on this blog. No dramatic exit, no crisis, no grand story — just life unfolding in its own quiet way while I wandered off into a long stretch of creative exploration. I didn’t spend that time chasing expectations or trying to produce anything impressive. In fact, it was the opposite. I let myself make things without pressure, without anticipation, and without any need for an audience. It was a good kind of absence — the sort that gives you space to breathe and rediscover what you enjoy. Along the way, painting slipped out of my hands. Not abandoned in frustration, just… released. It had carried me through many chapters, but eventually it felt like a language I’d said enough in. So I turned to sculpture, almost by accident, and found myself on a long, meandering tour through every material within reach. Papier‑mâché came first — messy, forgiving, and strangely liberating.Foam followed, stubborn but full of possibility.Cardboard had its moment too, proving far more architectural than I expected. Each material taught me something different about form, weight, and patience. And then, gradually, I settled into polymer clay. It felt right — structured but flexible, expressive without demanding perfection. It opened a new path, and with it came another journey: exploring genre, tone, and character in ways paint never quite allowed. So yes, I’ve been away. But not idle.Just quietly occupied in the kind of creative work that doesn’t need announcing. Now the blog returns — not as a relaunch, not as a promise, but simply as a continuation. A place to share what I’ve been shaping, learning, and enjoying along the way. If you’ve found your way back here too, welcome. Let’s see where this next chapter leads.

 

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A Quiet Return

It’s been a few years since anything new appeared on this blog. No dramatic exit, no crisis, no grand story — just life unfolding in its own quiet way while I wandered off into a long stretch of creative exploration.

I didn’t spend that time chasing expectations or trying to produce anything impressive. In fact, it was the opposite. I let myself make things without pressure, without anticipation, and without any need for an audience. It was a good kind of absence — the sort that gives you space to breathe and rediscover what you enjoy. Along the way, painting slipped out of my hands. Not abandoned in frustration, just… released. It had carried me through many chapters, but eventually it felt like a language I’d said enough in. So I turned to sculpture, almost by accident, and found myself on a long, meandering tour through every material within reach.

Papier‑mâché came first — messy, forgiving, and strangely liberating.
Foam followed, stubborn but full of possibility.
Cardboard had its moment too, proving far more architectural than I expected.

Each material taught me something different about form, weight, and patience. And then, gradually, I settled into polymer clay. It felt right — structured but flexible, expressive without demanding perfection. It opened a new path, and with it came another journey: exploring genre, tone, and character in ways paint never quite allowed.

So yes, I’ve been away. But not idle.
Just quietly occupied in the kind of creative work that doesn’t need announcing.

Now the blog returns — not as a relaunch, not as a promise, but simply as a continuation. A place to share what I’ve been shaping, learning, and enjoying along the way.

If you’ve found your way back here too, welcome. Let’s see whbere this next chapter leads.

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changing direction

Fortune favors the brave, a quote, author not really known, another great quote in my head does have an author, Winston Churchill who said, ''The farther back we can see the farther forward we can Look'', as we grow as humans our greatest lessons are from those mistakes that we have already made and learned from and we should remember our past lessons, one such lesson comes from my partner and muse Sheila who brought me a lesson that was to change the course of my life, she was to show me through paint exactly what it was that I was lacking in my 40 plus years of 'trying to paint'
This thought comes to me as I sit in the studio at 6 am carrying out major surgery on ''Mrs Energy'', one of the Social Realism series that I am working on, amputated arms, legs and an open chest wound from the base of her neck to her mons pubis, lying on the worktop as if in the middle of an autopsy I proceeded to add extra length to her limbs.
Throughout my life I have always marveled at my own ability to 'guestimate' always within pinpoint accuracy in any number of things, cutting, weighing, calculating, I once paid my 50p at a school fete a couple of years ago and managed to guestimate 2 short of the 900 and some odd jelly beans in the jar, of course, it wasn't guestimation more a speedy calculation of the number of beans by width  x height, x length though even on that occasion it was startlingly accurate, this ability I carried over into my paintings and other creations, squeezing the tiniest drop of paint out that would adequately complete the job without waste and stretching a tube of paint out to the maximum number of paintings without having to go out and buy more, not because I was tight but because I simply didn't want to go out.



Wandering into the studio one day, a little lost and a lot bored she watched me paint and asked, ''Can I have a go'', I don't know why she thought she had to even ask but, yeah, here you go, paint, canvas, whatever you want. 
For a moment she sat on the floor and mimicked that which I had been doing, it must have looked like fun to her, the mimicry last mere seconds before I saw an actual physical change in her as she disappeared, paint stick in one hand, spray bottle of Turps in the other each little more than an extension of herself; she completed many hundreds of paintings after that moment, without a care for cost or waste or mistake, just pure paint, following that day she had an emerging artist show and was juried into a prestigious Northern art fayre, what wonderful exciting evocative and emotional images she produced there onwards, I think it was Jackson Pollock who stressed that art comes from within, for sure Sheilas was, to me, extra-worldly.

I ceased to paint after that day I recognized in her and her work the very foundations of great art and I realized that I had none of them, my emotions and passions destroyed more years ago than I could piece together, had I not learned from Sheila it is most likely that I would still be wandering the streets looking the part in paint-spattered clothes while all the while feeling totally fraudulent despite good reviews, that was not what I was looking for, Sheila had it, she owned her work and nothing came from anyone else, how could I say that with a head full of teachings and words from others, for sure I had nothing to say about painting that had not already been said a hundred thousand times throughout history.
My mindset was ''I have paint, I have a support I put one to the other and make a picture'' end of lecture about 'my art', it truly was time to abandon ship, my life goal and dream, time to turn in another direction, the greatest decision of my life was made 8 years ago when I opted for sculpture even if, for a short while, I carried the same error over with me but that soon went.
Sometimes you have to change direction in life, it can be a scary option but the rewards if the right decision is found is truly profound.

This Blog Post concludes that chapter of my life which I do so with huge gratitude to Sheila, partner and Muse, there is much to follow as I start this new and exciting journey.

The Moormen - a series

’The Moormen’ 

This is by far the longest BLOG post I have ever written, it is open ended and will be continually edited as The Moormen series progress for it is my growing explanation for a new work direction over an indefinite period, part explanation, part philosophy part everything else that relates to, The Moormen and women.

'The Moormen'. are a series depicting an imaginary race inspired by real people, 'the colorful characters, the ones who stand out in a crowd, either by their own actions or their inactions, sometimes because of their life-style, sometimes because of their life choices, sometimes, driven by situation, by cause and effect.  Moormen generally live out their days oblivious to the affairs of the outside world, sometimes if only for a moment of freedom from their own concerns, a world where, either of their own uncaring nature or simply too vast and foreign as to be even a part of their thought process, perhaps even, ignorant to the troubles of the human race and the future of the world they live in, oblivious to the trillions spent to the Space race, to the trillions spent dealing with the very Human sufferings of elsewhere, of War, Famine, Natural disasters they have troubles enough themselves deal with even if only trying to make the pennies last the week. 

For one group of people, their world is all of the world, a world where, sometimes or often, the proverbial 'Airing of Laundry' renders them naked but unperturbed, sometimes good days, sometimes bad and sometimes terrible days they wish they had not woken too but each morning, mostly, it starts with a smile and a hope, sometimes their days often start or end with the emergency services in attendance, real life, real people, life is rarely without an event of one kind or another for a people watcher, it is of this group of individuals that I focus on for the 'Moormen' series for they are a daily part of my life as they go about their business, some of surviving from one day to the next, mentally, spiritually or financially, there is always something going on in the life of a Moorman, it is never ending, the ducking and diving bobbing and weaving and always trying to stay one step ahead of speedy contemporary life; these individuals expose themselves as emotionally naked and live out their most intimate thoughts of their passions or desires freed from responsible thought, anger, joy, bitterness, frustrations all played out for the world to see, at these times I see these people alone, those who they are close to only able to offer flawed advice or, as is often the case, as much being a part of the problem than the solution. 

You cannot quantify a tragedy or a joy, they are personal, an old saying is ‘’Where theres muck theres brass’’, one mans pleasure may be anothers lifeline however to the individual ‘’the situation’’ is whatever it is to that persons life, even between cultures there are differences in what is a tragedy, a death celebrated at Brazils ‘Day of the Dead’ is, for another a path to sorrows beyond the ability to cope embarking that person on a road with no happy ending, a Martyr in one culture, a tragedy in another, hunger, sorrow, joy, happiness, celebration, commiseration, so often you will see the statement, ‘Don’t Judge me until you have walked in my shoes’ yet for The Moormen, the real people of the world there is no ‘’What happens in house stays in house, for others this is gospel.

Another group of people who stand out to me are those whose lives are, perhaps, societies 'normal', slipping through life they manage their day to days, even if not in extreme comfort, a step ahead of their game and easily able to lose themselves in a moment of solitude in their seemingly busy schedules.

This is much farther reaching group than the small community in which I live, this is global, the neither not rich nor poor people that comprise the middle of society, even when enveloped in some life serious situation they do not manage it alone they have friends and family, a support network with whom they share their troubles and accept good advice, I see them in those moments when they are easily able to 'switch off' and become so engrossed in their thoughts that the world outside of that small bubble simply disappears, when looking a piece of captivating art, waiting for their wife outside of the dress shop, being taken somewhere special all dressed up and waiting for a friend or a lift, looking at a beautiful woman, sitting in an airport or waiting for a bus or, simply staring into a river or a cloud, these are the moments when a little bliss or pleasure also leaves a person emotionally naked and so vulnerable as they expose and live within their most intimate thoughts of their passions or desires freed from responsible thought.

There are other groups and other situation by the myriad of course but, for the moment there are sufficient in this BLOG alone to keep me busy for a long time, Ive seen and known many, someone once said to me '' You dont know me'', but, the reality is that I have, another place, another time even another name, there are unlimited unique individuals in the world but always there will be specific group, peer, family or situation alignments, even a sets of specific reactions to given causal effects, people strive more often to fit in, to be seen and perceived as a part of a normal social group whichever social group they join, whatever lives they choose to live but always there is a degree of conformity between individuals, 'society' and more importantly, ''The System of life'' doesnt allow for unique individuals to co-exist by the millions of individuals who think they are a unique and individual.

 The System cannot afford, literally, for individuality and uniqueness to exist no matter the propoganda, were we all to exist as an individual The system ceases to exist,  if the system ceases to exist society as we know it will collapse and there is no coming back from that but for for decades of change and greater misery, for this reason alone is why I understand that people have to escape into their own world sometimes, I admire the individuals for their struggles are always greater than the conformist, a part of me imagines that, as I watch them, it might be the only time they can feel that they are really an individual with an individual free thought life.

My background is of the military and there are fewer totalitarian systems that exist even, even able to conform to a certain degree I found my freedom through escapism, into 'somewhere else' anywhere else where I could create or watch others, to see their struggles I found understanding as well as a balance for my own dual life, thankfully I have broken free of 'control' to a huge extent and though I manage to conform albeit minimally I find my freedom and escapism, even now through art and know from my watching that this is not the case for so many, those I plan to create.

Hypervigilant by nature I am captivated by these people who 'stand out from the crowd' for whatever reason, they know themselves for they are known for what and who they are both to others and, more importantly, to themselves.

 having never really been able, or perhaps willing, to experience this sense of serenity beyond perhaps 90% security and 10% freedom my hypervigilance controls my life and I submit those figures for perhaps the most excellent day I could have,  even at my most engrossed there is still and always 10% of my attention turned toward the sights, sounds, and body language of the people and the environment all around me, extrinsic reality-denying my most basic freedom, to live and to fully enjoy my life, I dont want to lose that ten percentage,  but, in moments of watching another I see so much about a person, the last 10% of freedom I hold in reserve for home and studio !

To witness an individual in a 100% state of absent mindedness leaves me feeling sometimes quite breathless and often for the very and real state of vulnerability that they have adopted for a moments escapism into their thought world, more common in contemporary life it is the technology that takes people elsewhere to not only think of somewhere and something else but to actually 'be somewhere and, with someone else', as they become absolutely engrossed in their Phone, Tablet and social media they are lost to the world, an accident waiting to happen, it only takes a millisecond for that moment of complete separateness to turn into an absolute tragedy, I have seen it unfold so many times but, what can you do, tap on someones shoulder and suggest they stop doing what they are doing, to take notice of what is going on around them, it is unlikely that any  caring intent would be appreciated at all, instead, I choose to watch them, observe them, even understand them, and now to model them.

Perhaps my Social Realism pieces may one day click with someone and save them a tragedy, neither I or they may never know but that is one of the beauties of art, auto-suggestion, a subliminal effect sometimes even to be touched profoundly but rarely fully understood.

First Step Last Stage.

For those who have followed my progress over the many years, they are aware that I have sought to create a sculptural process that enthralls me throughout, from inspiration and design through to materials, structure and now onward to the final stage, that being the part only seen by the viewer as a finished piece.
Notwithstanding becoming bored, disinterested or frustrated each stage of forming this personal process has brought 6 years of emotional roller coaster, a plethora of practice, of trial and error, of sometimes (average) success or ultimate and sometimes epic failures, only through a persistence for total job satisfaction have I reached this stage through more changes in direction than I can remember, reaching out to something new and unknown only to abandon and discard, lodged in my memory bank subtle ideas that would be useful in future projects and then to turn the page to the next idea in the plan to research, always as is the saying, ''hoping for the best, anticipating the worse''.

This process of trial and elimination continues today  launching on this, a new direction for the final veneer  and visit a Garage spray shop as I seek out  iridescent light changing colours, another purpose of the visit was to establish if a garage paint shop oven reaches sufficiently high enough temperatures to bake, sadly they only reach 100 deg c and I am looking for 130deg, back to the drawing board; the ultimate plan of course is to  commission a bespoke home oven however there are other alternatives to explore before reaching that point, once thought of in an earlier project, I turn my attention now to a possible baking solution in commercial pottery kilns, perhaps they are able to be regulated to a very low temperature also.

Iridescent Pallet

The garage now has a test piece for paintwork and I wait in anticipation for that call which will let me know if, on this occasion and once again, whether Success or Failure is found at this final stage of my sculptural process if not, time to dig out the Aiwata air spray and compressor for a stage I don't really relish or see in my sculpture practice.

The sum of many parts

Rare is it that the work involved is seen by the average and casual viewer, beneath the layers exist hours of construction, contemporaneously or historically, it is this that makes ones work stand out.

In order for this to occur it must be considered that a piece of work is comprised, not just of layers of paint, clay or individual parts but also a series of Techniques and processes that have been practiced and mastered, also this familiarity is important to ensure a balance of work and unity across an entire series or body of work, tried and tested means, Research and Development, success and failure, manipulation and, sometimes, an element of innovation.

To this end I am revamping the process of making my bricks, drawing on experience and knowledge of other techniques combined with a specific approach to the forming and hand priming of the clay within the silicone mould, for me this ensures sympathetic preservations of fragile detail of the original form, also, it is important for me to maintain a set of ethics that allow me to consider my entire works as 'Handcrafted Fine Art'  even given the use of a mould process.




Thought process flow chart





Having discovered a ''baked clay to baked clay'' bonding issue, there is it seems as yet no specific adhesive specific to the bonding of baked clays, while some produce a sticky melted mess, some crack and pieces break apart, as did mine yesterday evening, others simply do not hold adequately, having been in the situation of having to remove a private garden commission for this very reason I have also to resolve this issue before I can continue to create.






The alternative given the overall finished size of the composite works is to commission the build of a bespoke large oven, this has been in the back of my mind for the past few years, always imagining that this would be inevitable now it seems it is that time.

Plan A !!

When a plan comes together...

  "First I saw the mountains in the painting then I saw the painting in the mountains"

Chinese Proverb

Don't you love it when a plan, combined with a series of unconnected parts, all comes together in unison, inspirations, materials, technique and passion, an explosively expressive combination?

Today I started and completed the first component of my first biomorphic work for a couple of years, combining a love of Sumi-e mountains, a fascination with repetitive pattern, a specific technique and of course, Biomorphism; a recognition and understanding of all of these elements have been a part and parcel of my daily life though always it seemed one or the other was absent, worse still, incomplete leaving naught but frustration and dissatisfaction with any work completed, today I am satisfied.

   

Though each is created from a mould the Clay is literally spooned and guided into each of the grooves cuts and depressions creating multiple Individual components, shaped, baked and then affixed to a main body of work. 

The New Studio8

Finally, the instalation of the new studio8 is, barring the fine tuning such as overhead lights and foto booth plus a few other minor additions, though these are with regard to its functionality luxury additions rather than any necessity, for now I can get back to work.

Dedicated solely to Polymer Clay work It is much smaller than previous studios but in the world of progress it is so much larger than the original Studio! on the Heerstrasse of Berlin way back in 1978, wow! has so many years passed between Studio1 and 8, that was also an intimate space but nowhere near the amount of storage and working area than I now have

Work to do now, have an artful Day one and all while I crack on with my ''Moormen'' series, more on these characters later.

NEW PROJECT NEW BLOG

Though this Blog has served my purpose well, an overall view of my time and practice since 2008 I find that my current project will require far more regular inclusions than I have been used to, to remedy this I start an additional Blog committed to a single project and to run concurrent with my activities.

The New Blog orientates toward the creation of an illustrated journal of travel along the West Coast of Cumbria, from Maryport in the North to the Shipbuilding Town of Barrow-in-Furness in the South, not an epic journey given my early years but for sure the first time that my travels have been documented fully with photographs, maps, illustrations and hand drawn maps.

This Blog will continue in its present format.

Here is the Link to follow the journey.

https://artisttravelart.blogspot.com/  

HAPPY TRAVELS.

Time

Yesterday, while waiting in a Queue, I was fondling a Ten Pound Note, I have long appreciated even to a point of compulsion the textures of objects, it is something I have to do for my eyes only tell a part of the story; in the top left hand corner of the Note I felt tiny lumps which I frantically tried to scrape off with my fingers, they did not belong and spoilt the otherwise silk like flawless surface, when I looked I realised that they were the Braille dots for the blind, how acute and wonderful our senses are as to be able to read with our fingertips.
One of the models of Tai Chi is to make every movement for a purpose, a beginning a middle and an end, imagine the possibilities if we were to transfer that model to the use of all of our senses.

Sight, Smell, touch, hearing and taste, these are our Primordial pleasure tools yet modernity it seems facilitates the removal of these sensations from our lives, pace of life in 2018 denies us this for appreciation requires time.
Filled with fleeting images, a need for speed in getting from one place to another or in completion of a task, 'Time is Money' is heard often yet at what price; there is so much more that we miss out on .

The loss of sensory Appreciation from our lives can only lead to bad repercussions, a negative prognosis for individuals, communities, the place, or our place of work, the difference between artist, craftsman and labor.

Time should not be governed by pounds and pence, shortcuts should not be taken and patience, should be more than a virtue, beyond that race to the end there is so much more in life that we have yet, or may never, appreciate, perhaps this is why as an artist I do what it is I have to do.

Have an artful day 

Social Media

What a wonderful creation, the Internet, for all of its flaws it is The Global Community and reflecting a true account of the world at large, for sure my life would have been an entirely different one had it been around in my childhood.

I use Social Media not just for a variety of reasons but for the management of my entire life in one form or another, my art, my life my business all packaged and in that order, certainly it is a far cry from my first encounter with the WWW back in 1994 a time when larger images required sometimes more than half an hour to download and print, the content was sparse and questionable, despite the risk of malicious software, financial scams and 'the dark side' the internet is a wonderful thing.

Of the greatest impact to me now is the management of my health and general well-being, growing my knowledge base, growing a greater understanding of mankind, maintaining contact with friends and family and, in finding a relaxation away from my art, this latter is of such importance not only to me but also to the quality of my work, on occasions it denies me time for anything other, abandonment sometimes of the most basic human needs,  food, sleep or personal care, that was until now. 
Until the advent Internet I had never found a positive state of rest the time to recharge my batteries but that has all changed.
How my life may have been had I grown with it I have no idea, there are so many things I would have like to have done or to have understood that, with all of the answers at my fingertips my life without a doubt would have been as if a stranger to me now, my life would have been what the Internet grew. 

Back to the present I still find that the internet affords me personal growth and initiates my day as my wake up call, second only to Tiger-billies needs my day starts with a couple of hours at the screen, reviewing my Home page for the past 24 hours, checking my mail, Facebook 'Good Mornings'  and sorting my Interactive Farmville, though deemed at some point to be The most addictive Game on the Internet, I have managed to avoid addiction.
For me, it is not a game, it is a tool, a creative endeavour and something that evolves on a daily basis it allows the time for me to wake up at my speed rather than of the strict regimen born and raised to adhere to.

When my time at the screen is done all of me is balanced and ready to start the day.

As in Society, The Internet has its dangers and pitfalls but when used as a tool truly is the greatest Library and Knowledge base in existence, every answer, every fact, every thought that a person would have need to question it is there for the asking.
Though I can not alter the past I can choose the future, not in the manner of reinvention but in the way that I can find a superiority over my former self and that is an exciting prospect even at my age.

Polymer Clay 4 Playful Pursuits

 An interesting and Playful week working toward creating my representations from the 8 Pillars of Biomorphism, en route I found a sketch from 2004, another playful period.

 I decided to rework it in Clay, a Happy result especially so when a quick Google image search that is to say a Google algorithm which searches for images related to the characteristics of my Clay image

Google returned to me this result.

If thats not a result I dont know what is.

Moving on I experimented with some other forms, fun to do, absolutely Cathartic in process and simply creativity in its base form.

Have an artful day I'm off back to my clay!

Polymer Clay 3 - The fun contines

These past few weeks have passed quickly with all sorts of childlike fun going on with this medium that each day leaves me frustrated that I have not the time to all that I would like to do never mind to actually attain my minds desires in terms of scale, each playful venture finalises quickly with another new found visual delight and, for sure, childlike is indeed the word that springs to mind as I remember back through the years, a hospital bed, a want-to-be artist creating a string of animals formed from the plasticine delivered to my bedside by my parents, I was around nine or ten years old and recovering from an accident that left me with a fractured pelvis, the first of many injuries that would be the result of chasing adrenaline rush over the coming years
Now, past any and all adventures that would end in bodily injuries I am happy to while away my days in creative pursuits that end only with a smile rather than an X-Ray..........

As much fun as I am having while learning I still have no specific project in mind, it is all to easy to simply 'make stuff' however the end goal being to create sculptural forms that are suitable for showing a less vague direction is needed to justify the cost, Polymer clay arrives in small blocks of 2 or 3 ounces and an ounce doesn't go very far when working in large forms.

My project therefore is to create 8 Sculptural Forms, each in keeping with the 8 Pillars of Biomorphism, each one relating to a specific and different form in the overall Biomorphic Genre, this will also help me to understand each of the Pillars as well as to allow me also to understand the processes of other Practitioners and to experiment away from my own Form.

Have an artful week

andrew

Polymer Clay 2 - 5000 hours.

It is said that it takes around 5000 hours to become an expert at anything..... with around 30 hours under my belt I have a long journey to travel, I have arrived at this point 5 years into my 10 year plan, the next 5 years therefore is all about clocking up the hours.
My first sculpture now in its unfinished state will remain on my shelf as a reminder, not only of my first attempt but also 'how not to do it', though it looks ok up close and personal there are more errors than I have fingers to count, burnt sections of polymer, mismatched colours and bad tile creation, it all started off so well but soon learned that to not make enough of a particular design will lead to dissaster, at least until I am knowledgeable enough to reproduce accurate colour and technique.

Burnt Clay and Uneven surfaces affecting the overall form, though the burn is only ''skin deep'' no amount of sanding will remedy the chunks missing after sticking to the oven floor 

mismatched colour and pattern caused by not making sufficient tiles of a single design

For this first year I will concentrate on textures and design technique and will simply have fun making whatever it is that falls into my mind and will serve as a lesson, only then will I be able to commit fully to great biomorphic forms leaving me a full four years to put together a great body of work.

Polymer Clay 01

After 2 years of video tutorials, websites, on-line info for Polymer Clay techniques, materials and Tools plus a healthy dose of Polymer Clay experts and their published works, the setting up of a dedicated space, only now can I start to experiment and create my own mistakes and errors in a learning curve that, for now, has no apparent ending.

I have been influenced by many clay artists particularly in the Jewelry/Biomorphic realm, my warmest thanks goes to a clay artist Melanie West whose designs have constantly captivated me over those past 2 years

The incredible work of Melanie West

.

I find the material so wonderful to work with at so many levels as time after time I found my boxes ticked of one by one, to now work with confirmation of my imaginings as to its versatility, durability, texture and colour mixing all to which only time and passion will improve my ability to create a hefty chunk of projects that have built up over the years, my ‘imaginary wish list’ if you like comprising  all of the things I would like to do with the clay.

just for fun

My primary draw toward Polymer Clay becomes a reality in progress as my constant search for a suitable finishing veneer for my biomorphic works comes to an end,  even now with my earliest attempts I can see the reality of that which I had hoped in bringing life to my sculptural creations.

I approach Polymer in much the same manner as I have each of the many materials and processes that being to take it as far as I am capable of doing while maintaining a high level of interest and skill and always with hopes that I might have found my grail, in the past there I have always found something along the journey that has prevented my continuing, With a new material for which I have a high regard for polymer clay has already accommodated 2 years plus of interest as I embark now with great optimism.

From the hundreds of tutorials, fact-sheets and miscellaneous snippets of information via social media sources absorbed I have opted to work with FIMO one of the many trade name clays available on the market, overall I find it stable in colour post baking and consistency in working, including the mica clays aswell.

My first project is the furtherance and completion of one of my simplest and favorite  sculptures which has has always failed to reach its optimum and left me in frustration, it has endured several transitions since its conception, for its final coat, I will be focusing on Gold Mica Clay;  the subtle changes in color are quite pronounced when seen in abundance and my goal is to take the mica shift and mica mix techniques and start experimenting, there is no better way to learn.

With fingers crossed

Slowly but surely living in a sleepy part of the county has eaten away at my energies and I need a new charge, that aside I can feel the need to travel and explore growing by the day. I once craved solitude and isolation  but the past 2 years has confirmed that this desire was more in keeping with wanting to escape the ever growing number of tourists that crowded the streets of my locale, now with the romanticism of that solitude well and truly used up it is time to seek out that which brings me the most in terms of energy, inspiration and Peace, The Coast.
.

This comes partly with having a childhood spent in the company of crashing Atlantic waves onto miles of sandy shores and an adult life of travel and exploration, there is little I have found inland to compare, Countryside, desolate places, vibrant places, dangerous places, Cities, Towns and villages, they were all my playground and all wonderful but, without a coastline, they have all proved to have a limited shelf life for me, it doesnt take long to find everything there is to find inland but there is something wonderfully transient, even reverant about the coast, daily, hourly, even by the minute it can change whereas elsewhere seems almost stationary by comparison, this transient nature is a part of me and always has been, where else could a Nomad be static other than in a place that changes constantly, always there is something new with each passing tide change.

Until such a time as I find a suitable place and have the opportunity to move it is a case of packing everything up and living a simple and, creatively speaking, a generally unproductive life. 

There are many small coastal villages along the entire length of the west of Cumbria and recently I visited one such place in search of a new studio .My first visit, with fingers crossed, was a village called Flimby and what a joy it was to wander and sit in the amazing Flora Habitat that dominates the dunes, to watch the waves, the tidal flow and the many creatures that live there, it is said that Time flies when you are enjoying yourself, I sat and wandered for 3 hours which went in a flash but the peace and tranquility that I found lasted far far longer.

En route The cab driver had informed me that living in Flimby was like living 500 years in the past, I had no problems with perhaps a slight exaggeration, a talent of which most Taxi Drivers seem to possess though I could tell on my arrival from where he was coming from, with only 2 shops, a railway station and a school, it sounded good to me and I was not disappointed, it was perfect for me, the available property less that 2 minutes from the sea and views across the Firth to Scotland, even the property was perfect, a veritable 'blank canvas'

Fortunate that I am to live within a Housing Association System of 'bidding for properties' I can only sit now with fingers crossed that I fit the criteria and find my way to the front of the queue by the closing date.

For the full Foto album follow the link below

 ( https://goo.gl/1HAC6P )