A recently edited photo by myself originally taken by Kelt photo many moons ago.
This would be one of those enteries in which i realise the sheer volume of things i am to cover in order to catch up. Is it not simply the way of life that when interesting things are happening you never have time to let another know of them? Allways the way it would seem.
Well since my last entry I have been active in both the artistic and modelling side of my life and also in the nature and wilderness skills side (as allways the land is my passion)
I was very fortunate to be invited back to help out Woodsmoke again as an apprentice on two of their courses that ran back to back.
The first of these was Marcus' Woodcarving and whitteling course, a new course that went down extremely well, the students producing a wide range of projects and styles most of which were seriously impressive and i tried to hide my earlier efforts as they were put to shame one by one haha. This was nothing compared to what the instructors Willow and Marcus had brought between them, all manner of spoons and bowls, some replica items and some fashioned using ancient techniques. I was very impressed with the course and very happy for Marcus as he wrote it.
The second of these courses I was helping out on absolutely fascinated me though at first I was unsure what I would make of it and that was the brain tanning and bucksin course provided by a lovely lady named Willow. She went into the ins and outs of the most ancient of hide tanning techniques and even gave me half a skin to work on. The whole process is fascinating and most definately hard work but the results are wonderful and it was such an old site and night to see everyone surrounding the fire, stretching their buckskin in the lantern light. This is a skill I intend to carry on as it is an art that is rare and dying an honour to learn the skills of the ancients and help to use the whole of the animal (in fact i have two skins arriving tomorrow that would otherwise be thrown away)
As allways I was very happy to help woodsmoke out and instantly settled in to place, having developed a real love for the area and the company and somewhat of a kinship with the staff, I am seriously impressed by all that work there and I could go on but really I shall refrain.
With regards to the modelling I have had several different shoots and have also been doing life art modelling.
My modelling saw me travelling up to Aberdeen to spend the weekend with Robert Kerr shooting semi-nudes amidst and on top of a stone circle in the pouring rain and howling wind, some mystical and medieval shots reminiscent of pre raphealites in the stone circle, an old dutch masters inspired gypsy shoot at an old mill and an ophelia shoot in a nearby mountain stream (quite chilly). I enjoyed working with Robert and he certainly took care of me whilst i was there feeding me the most amazing lasagne. I will post images soon.
I have also had a steampunk inspired shoot with a photographer from ayrshire that is new to all this, Craig of Unhinged Photography did an excellent job and i was quite suprised with the results this was also something which my boyfriend took part in modelling for the first time and realising how difficult it can be, once again images will follow.
And lastly I had a shoot with Paul Holyrod from West Sussex in which we shot medieval and art nudes out at an old medieval folly near Langholm/ Longtowm. The photographer is an excellent photoshop wizard and we covered a lot in a short space of time, I was angelic, demonic, stoic, sneaky, a temptress and a sacrifice and all manner of things in between. I very much look forward to the images from that shoot.
Life art modelling has been going well too and in todays class the students excelled themselves, I was so proud and wish I had taken my camera to share their skills. Whilst posing I was visited by a mouse and reminded of the song "mouse and the model" by Amanda Palmer.
All in all I have been very busy with all this and of course the autumn will harvest, what a wonderful time of year!
