Studio Journal #4

A sort of weekly ramble,island life.

Full sun by 10am. I’ve become obsessed with checking the forecast and comparing it with our weather station data. The day has started with a howling wind whipping round the house and rain driving into the window. I pull the duvet under my chin. It seems that southerly winds are the noisiest as they batter the front of the house. I feel snug, that feeling you have when its wet and wild and you’re tucked up inside a tent or caravan.

I’ve pretty much always been an early riser, fitful sleeper and not too keen to stay in bed longer than I should. What I realise now is that my body needs some extra time to heal itself so getting up at 7:30am feels like the day is already rushing forward full speed and I’ve missed so much.

In reality all that I missed was an hour or two of quiet moments staring out the window whilst I eat breakfast and sip tea.

The light this week has been such a treat. I’ve finally had to turn the lights on in the studio, not so keen on that light but it’s a means to an end. My brief obsession with kelp collecting has led to some interesting time wasting and possibly so constructive research.

It feels like it should have a place in my work and love the textures especially of the long strands of oarweed, as they start to dry they become this delightful leathery almost textile like texture. I’ve been rolling and drying them and thinking about how I might weave them into finished pieces or create some sort of plinth or stand.

However I have no idea how they will dry or if they will crumble into dust. There is also the slight rotting tang of the sea which some may find repulsive. It may fade.

Seaweed, kelp, tangle, tang, dulse, wair, ware are just various names for this fascinating plant. Its history here has made its mark on the land remains of the circular pits and the places to dry

Here in Orkney it has a firm place in the islands history, storms would wash up huge swaths of kelp onto the strandline and islanders would drag it up and use it to increase the fertility of the land.

When burnt the ash is rich in potash and soda, two components that can be used in a ceramic glaze. I

that also make it interesting to us ceramicists but I certainly am not about to start the back breaking work of the past. Huge pits of burning tang were left to smoulder often tended by the womenfolk until there was just a white powdery ash left that could be easily transported south.

There are still remains of these circular pits and drying areas to be seen along the shoreline but The set up here will be on a much smaller scale with my small incinerator and kelp drying in the greenhouse.