Monthly Meeting "Wake the Flame, Ignite your Passion"
Tuesday 14th February
Anne Artis was delighted to welcome a full hall. She reflected on the horrific circumstances in Turkey and the fate of the people and confirmed that the raffle money will be donated from this evening. On a further charitable note, Helen asked for everyone to bring a carrier bag of a donation for the Cancer Research Shop for next month - preferably adults clothing or other bric a brac items - and if anyone has anything else in the future then it can be donated too (other than electrical items of knives/sharp items)
Anne reminded us that we are taking a table at the Thornhill Community Trust Event in their hall on Saturday 25th for local people to learn about groups and activity in the area including us! It is on from 10am-2pm if you'd like to come along - snacks are available to buy or you can bring your own! We are also fundraising again this year, at three WildFox events as life continues to get back to normal after Covid - Kindrochit Quadrathlon in July, Artemis Pentland Peaks Challenge and the Glencoe marathon in September. Anne also reminded us of the SC&WP Federation who are now on a better footing and have a new treasurer; the Spring meeting is on 29 April with the Morton Pairs (pincushion in any craft, and one cupcake, decoration only) and Newforge (Easter Card) competitions.
She also read cards from the Salvation Army thanking us for our Christmas donations and Alison Lambie who thoroughly enjoyed participating at our meeting. Anne then wished members with a 'big birthday' with a zero in it and lots of happy wishes - Cathie, Linda and Seona.
Anne introduced Elspeth from the Two Ravens Forge - a craft that none of us have tried before! Elspeth told us the story of their work - a traditional craft involving traditional tools - occasionally fire with coal and coke but also gas forges or induction. Most of the work that the forge do is commissioned work, for example an Arts and Crafts set of gates. The process is to visit site and produce sketches and then samples of parts of the design. All of the work is hot and made of multiple components usually held in place with rivets rather than welded together. It can take 2-3 months to complete a big job, especially if it requires hand painting! Some smaller jobs are more manageable but follow the same design and production process. These can be tailored to an individual preference for example seaweed and fish for scuba divers! Customers can be very attached to their gates, and take them with them when they move house! Inspiration can come from the individual client or else from the environment surrounding the area eg napped flints included in a gate to reflect the stone in the house walls or antlers donated by the owner. Handrails offer a great opportunity to customise a house (for people who need them, obviously not us!) but Elspeth shared some lovely examples including wisteria and Scottish flower inspirations. Other unusual items include chairs or wardrobe handles. From domestic projects to corporate hospitality in the whisky industry (where Elspeth needed to ensure the whisky liquid was shown as amber not clear liquid!)
Two Ravens also work on public projects, in conjunction with other skilled craftsmen eg in the Sands Children Memorial Garden which focused on a screen of flowers through the seasons which are attractive to butterflies, and screened a seating area where visitors could reflect in peace; or an inclusive playpark where children with autism helped with the design to make sure it was safe and included repetitive movement; the design process for this used plasticine which behaves like hot metal. The opening party included the railing design on the cake!
Elspeths projects are practical items - gates and railings and signage - but all feature elements of nature and biodiversity and involve people at every step of the design process. Occasionally projects are more unusual, including television lanterns or sconces for Outlander which had a screentime of two seconds but required a lot of research to produce! From urns for ashes, to house signs or practical basketweaving tools and even the chicken for Katy Rodgers coop!
Elspeth closed out her story sharing her background as a trained sculptor, and the way they work with materials and recycle where possible. Every job is different, but they draw the line at car repairs! She then passed round examples of small (but heavy!) pieces of work!
After a banquet of a Ruskie supper, Anne closed out the meeting reading the Valentines poems before announcing the winners and drawing the generous raffle. She thanked Elspeth for her time introducing us to her skills.
Competitions
Acrostic Poem - 1) Lesley Gentles 2) Liz Black 3) Anne Artis
Interesting Metal Object - 1) Anne Artis 2) Pamela Deans 3) Marjorie Baxter
