Last month I had the fabulous opportunity to attend a wire sculpting workshop – so much fun.
The Venue – Our Handmade Collective, Leeds.
Only 5 minutes away from the bus station located in The Grand Arcade – a place stuffed full of wonders & treats.
The session – Led by the lovely Sophie of Sophie Dumont Designs.
I have much admired Sophie’s work – so pretty with cute little details – especially the little walnut shell boats but I digress…
How we began – We received a warm welcome, tea & cake from Claire (co-owner of OHC & chief beverage maker) & Sophie. We went around the group with brief introductions – we were a small (but perfectly formed) group ideal for when you are learning a new skill. None of the OHC workshops are huge as the venue size dictates numbers but a large enough group for giggles & small enough to get help when you’re stuck.
What went on – We have a brief overview of wire making history, use & gauges (sizes) with recommendations of the best types of wire to use for the sculpture you’d like to create – all interesting stuff but not as good as the next bit.
We were all given blank sheets of paper for us to draw our self-portraits!? Eek! I am not a drawer but took a deep breath and managed to produce a rough squiggle that was to be used as the guide for our first foray in to wire sculpting – all our pictures were different not least because we all had a different subject matter but we all approached it in different ways -the self-portrait element of the exercise sparked much hilarity.
Then on to the wire bending, for me it was fascinating to work with a medium that I only use in a functional way to create some art. Sophie was on hand to offer advice on differing techniques & tools to achieve our desired results.
Feeling a little more comfortable with manipulating the wire we continued to create our own little masterpieces.
I had masses of fun creating a mix of free standing items – a flower, snail, sad looking bug & an awesome sheep.
The sheep is sat on my workroom shelf watching me write. I am still to name it any suggestions?
Verdict – I had a great time, a lovely light hearted evening, held at a nice pace, informative & great for all abilities. My other half attended this workshop too, having never done anything like it – he thoroughly enjoyed it & was pleased with his finished pieces as was I with mine.
In the spirit of full disclosure - I was provided a free space on this workshop in return for my honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own and are not influenced by either the host or session leader of this workshop