Endless Possibilities
Gardening has always played an important part of what we do. We meet, eat and talk.
We have a gardening plot at Bridgend Growing Communities allotments. Although our main focus over the past couple of years has been working towards the Royal Highland Show we still grow the basics there. It allows us the chance to have a bit of lunch together, catch up and utilise the small bit of garden space we have at our disposal. We have also supplied organically grown fruit and vegetables for the local restaurant Blackfriars.
One of the participants grandfather worked as a beehive maker in the 1930’s which sparked off a conversation about beekeeping.
We invited David Wright from Edinburgh and Midlothian Beekeepers Association to help answer some of our beekeeping questions. This led to making a top bar beehive with David and finding out more about the different skills required to keep bees. Interested folk completed the Introduction to Beekeeping Course run by EMBA in 2014 and 2015. We are now searching for adequate sites to start our own apiary.
Our initial ideas are explored and developed at our visual art studio.
Coming together in Basic Mountain studio gives us a chance to chat together and develop our ideas. At the studio we explore design ideas and research different techniques. To help us work through our ideas professional visual artists, such as Francesca Nobilucci and Frances Priest, are invited in from time to time to deliver a block of specific workshops. We use specialist facilities such as Process Studios and the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop to learn new skills to create high quality artwork.
A field trip to the graduate show at Chippendale School of Furniture in Gifford started off a whole new direction.
We visit many touring and one off exhibitions in and around Edinburgh at any given time of the year. We also look to develop specific skills and invite an artist or maker to give us a specific demonstration. Not so long ago we visited Jenny Smith at the Edinburgh Laser Cutting Studio to find out about various laser cutting and etching techniques.
By learning to make your own beehives we gained new skills in furniture making.
Susan Harper, furniture maker graduated from the Chippendale School of Furniture in 2012. In the autumn of 2012 we used the school as our workshop to create bespoke beehives ready for the 2013 beekeeping season. Installing the beehives at the Gogarburn apiary was a landmark experience for us, and developed our relationship with beekeepers, this time with the Scottish Beekeepers Association enquiring if we would be interested in contributing to the design of their show tent at the Royal Highland Show 2014.
Starting from the basics we allow the ideas to develop their own momentum.
Our work in furniture design and making introduced us to the fine art of marquetry. This allowed us to give a signature to our designs that culminated in 3 beautiful bespoke tables for the 2014 Royal Highland Show. Our developing skills and confidence supported the development and making of a new market shop and honey tasting area for the Scottish Beekeepers Association 2015 Royal Highland Show tent.
We benefit from the experience of contemporary makers and artists and makers to create quality products.
For our work with the Scottish Beekeeping Association at the 2015 Royal Highland Show we designed and made a honey tasting area. Working with furniture maker Susan Harper we created the honey bar. Frances Priest a very talented ceramicist helped us create the fantastic honey tasting jars.
Our work thrives on local knowledge and experiences of people who are passionate about what they do.
As with gardening, angling has remained a long-standing interest. We are lucky to have built up great relationships with West Lothian Angling Association and Cramond Angling Club who provide us with annual complimentary fishing permits. It allows us to fish as a group or individually. Occasionally Douglas C. Hall will provide expert classes in different fishing techniques or specialist skills such as fly-tying.
Photography by Alice Myers
