Creative Thirst Update

I have now been on the Creative Thirst Programme for three weeks and have covered lots of topics to do with setting up a business in the creative industries. It's all going well and I have even managed to travel home one night with no rain!.

I'm starting to know the A6 Like the back of my hand and especially The Glenshane Pass which is very picturesque where you can see the peat bogs that are still cut by hand in the traditional way. I'm just glad I'm doing it at this time of year and not in the dead of winter.

The programme does involve a lot of research and things and it's easy to lose a night looking at the web, but a lot of ideas are coming out of it too. The downside is I'm not getting as much making time at the moment.

Swansea Architectural Glass Institute Turns 75 - BBC News

Here is a link to a Video article that my son Tom found on BBC News Wales online tonight. If you are interested in Stained glass or are an old student of the Welsh School of Glass it may interest you. Take a look.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/6915817.stm

Ballyclare May Fair

Today is the busiest day of the year in Ballyclare with the opening of the May Fair. It was traditionally a fair that was held twice a year and origins began on the 16th December 1756 when George II granted to the Earl of Donegal the right to hold

'two fairs yearly at the Town and Lands of Ballyclare'

At first the fairs were markets for animals and goods but as they grew to four in a year it was the May and November fairs which became the most important as it was there that the farmers hired their labouring men and servant girls for the next six months. The May Fair was traditionally held on a Tuesday in late May but in the nineteenth century such was the demand for horses that the Monday was given over to the trade. One dealer alone brought a hundred horses each year while others came into Ballyclare riding bareback and leading a string of horses. Representatives of cavalry regiments from all over Europe came to buy as the reputation of the fair spread.

From the photo's you will see that the horse sale is still running but on a much smaller scale. It still takes place in the square with more food stalls than anything else. But the kids are happy as they always get Half day at school.

Architectural Glass Design Degree Show

National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
5–20 Jun 10am-5pm
The Welsh School of Architectural Glass at Swansea Metropolitan University presents a spectacular display of work by graduates as part of the 75th anniversary of Europe's oldest architectural glass course.

A Glimpse into the Archives: 75th Anniversary of the Welsh School of Architectural Glass

Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea
Room 1: 1 May - 20 June 2010
Swansea Metropolitan University's Welsh School of Architectural Glass is celebrating its seventy-fifth anniversary following a long and illustrious past during which it has become a major world centre for glass art.

Students from the School have won an unprecedented number of awards and prestigious competitions and their creations can be found in collections across the world. The School's commercial arm, the Architectural Glass Centre (AGC), has been involved in high-profile projects, including the installation of windows for the restoration of St. Teilo's Church from Llandeilo Tal-y-Bont, now at St Fagans: National History Museum, near Cardiff. Many leading glass practitioners have graduated from Swansea including Alexander Beleschenko, Mark Angus, Martin Donlin, Graham Jones, Catrin Jones, Chris Bird-Jones, Sarah Hall, Amber Hiscott, Vanessa Cutler, David Pearl and Sachiko Yamomoto, all of whom have international reputations.

The Welsh School of Architectural Glass has remained at its Alexandra Road home for the past seventy-five years. It also has a permanent exhibition space in the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea. It still stands as the only purely architecturally-based glass School in the world. The anniversary will be marked with events and exhibitions throughout 2010. This exhibition, whilst modest in scale, offers an exciting glimpse into the School's history and includes designs, drawings photographs and artefacts from the process of stained glass making.

I had an opportunity to go along and look at the exhibition on Saturday and it was well worth the visit and even saw one of the images from one of my stained glass panels used in one of the archive folders. Also bumped into some old fellow students for a chat which is always nice.

Manipulated Fauna Photo's

Sunday Morning Walk

Not one to miss the opportunity to have a walk by the sea. I was up early yesterday after a very late night out with friends in Swansea to have one good walk before heading back to Ireland on the afternoon ferry. I could have kicked myself for not taking my digital camera with me when I spotted a seal bobbing about in the sea and the camera on my phone not good enough to take it. But here are some images I took on my walk some which I have manipulated on my phone camera which I love playing around with.

Unexpected Trip to Wales

I haven't got much work done in my studio over the last few weeks, especially with an unexpected trip to Wales to see my sister who has not been well. But not one to sit down and do nothing while my niece was at school and my sister laid up in bed. I got to work knocking a couple chimney stacks down in a bedroom and kitchen so that she can get the central heating fitted.

Creative Thirst

I have been accepted on a programme at Ulster University called "Creative Thirst". It is about setting up your own business in the Creative Industries. The course content is accredited by CCEA and the Open College Network Northern Ireland and in partnership with the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. It will be interesting to see how it goes as it is quite intensive two evenings a week and the odd Saturday over 11 weeks and based in Londonderry so will mean lots of travelling back and for.