JHQ Commission Update 23rd May 2013
I am home and all my kit has arrived safely back in the forge, I have my lovely painted ‘Melissa’s Forge sign on the wall at the back of the workshop to remind me of my time at Ark School.
I have great memories of my time in Germany and loved the last day when I got to work with the tiny Foundation stage children making birds from tin foil. It is the best medium, you can do so much with it with small hands and still get the feeling of metal from it.
I was given a Leavers Book in assembly on my last day, just like the other children who move on from Ark School as their parents are posted across other bases. It is a great reminder of my time in school and I was really taken with the creative writing and poetry that was read out in assembly by the pupils who were inspired by my visit.
I have the post box sculpture assembled in my workshop ready to finish next week. This last two weeks have been taken up with an interview for a public art commission – didn’t get it, a bit too exotic an idea for the space unfortunately – and about catching up with the other commissions I have on at the moment.
I had a class from East Oxford Primary School visit my forge and gallery this week. I have spent a half day with them talking about my work and the commission for the gate house to new student accommodation currently under construction next door to their school. A2Dominion www.a2dominion.co.uk have commissioned me to design a wall mounted piece for the gate house building and are keen to involve the local community in their plans. It was a great coincidence that the class i got to work with had been doing some work about the rivers Cherwell and Thames in Oxford as this is the inspiration behind my wall mounted sculpture.
Following design work and ideas for names for the new development in the classroom, the class came for a short one day visit to see my workshop and how I work. It was a great visit with really good question and answers about blacksmithing and metal working followed by a look around the gallery and walk through the bluebell woods that surround the workshop.
More photos and info on this Oxford commission to follow.