A Journey Towards Sustainable Land Stewardship

A Dream Deferred but Not Denied

I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported me in pursuing a dream for a more connected future. Your encouragement and belief in my vision have fueled my determination to pursue sustainable land stewardship, even when faced with obstacles. Thank you for being a part of this dream, for your unwavering support, and for inspiring me to take action despite the challenges. Together, we can make a meaningful impact and contribute to a brighter, more sustainable future.

In my pursuit of this dream, I realized that even with your support, acquiring the ideal piece of land was not feasible for me at this moment in time. The soaring prices have meant that purchasing land for anything less than $300,000 is not an option for the vision, to the extent that I see it. Despite this setback, I discovered a small plot of under an acre, which I have since purchased. Funds donated have helped cover solicitor costs, thank you. Though it requires me to scale down my ambitions, my dream of fostering community connections and creating a healing space remains intact. Each plot I explored offered a unique perspective on this vision, and this one, predominantly concrete with minimal life, has its own potential. 

Embracing the Challenge

Accepting this challenge, I am committed to transforming this space into a haven. My immediate goal is to manage water flow and enrich the soil. In the coming weeks, I will be fixing up the fence and planting a hedge of trees, which will support the land and its inhabitants well into the future. I believe we are merely custodians of the land we access, and it's crucial that our actions contribute to building a resilient future for all. Recognizing our interconnectedness on this planet is essential, as we are all part of one cosmic story. Our collective responsibility and impact on Earth are undeniable, and we must act with urgency and purpose, now more than ever. I feel complacency is no longer an acceptable option. 

Creating a Living Legacy

The hedge I plan to plant will be more than just a boundary; it will be a source of nourishment and medicine for years to come. I am drawn to incorporating a variety of species such as Elder, Hawthorn, Dog Rose, Damson, Sloe, Walnut, and Sweet Chestnut, space permitting. These plants will feed not only the soul but also the insects, birds, and other creatures that call this area home.

Building Towards the Future

Once the hedge and fence are in, I will determine my next steps. My ultimate goal is to cultivate nutrient-rich, clean food, establish a heritage seed bank, ensuring the safety and continuity of food traditions for future generations. I also see it being a suitable place to offer mental health support. In the quest for mental well-being, exploring holistic methods can offer comforting and effective pathways. Gardening, potion making, and energy work are creative and nurturing practices that provide mental health support by fostering mindfulness, connection, and personal empowerment.  By preserving these stories, we can withstand any challenges that come our way. Together, if each of us commits to maintaining and nurturing our food heritage, we can create a sustainable future for all. Community is key. 

A dream shared is a dream born

Let me take you on a journey to a special place. A place where people come together in community to grow and feed each other, forming deep roots back into the soil, somewhere surrounded by plants, being kissed by the wind.

Somewhere you can soak in herbal waters and be warmed by stories and an open fire. This is a place to gather at harvest and turn apples into cider and vinegars, alive with connection to each other and the land. Where herbs grow in abundance ready to teach you their gifts, to heal and take back lost wisdom. Somewhere to eat and sing together as we grow. A place where family takes on a new shape and love and compassion is given a space to grow and share knowledge and wisdom for a better future.

Welcome to my dream :) A place has found me for this all to become a reality but I can't do it alone. Allow me to share and put forth an offering to you to see if together it is possible.

I have been on a deep journey of self-discovery for the past few years, peeling back the layers of the past as it shows up in the present and letting go of force and control. Developing a new respect for what is and allowing myself to dream once more of what could be. As a child, I was told I dreamt of a life only fit for the retired. I now see it was a past life we may all have once had and still yearn for.

I have been looking, waiting for a cottage with land to be a custodian of and I come here today as I feel in my bones that she's found me at last. An old farmhouse, built from tucked in next to an old orchard. Upon walking into what is most recently used as a cow shed, a feeling of soft warmth flooded my senses, like a great grandma once known.

She is currenatly home to a family of wrens, and blue tits, of whom I have no intention of evicting in a hurry. The early morning sun shines its golden rays through a stone window frame, casting shards of light that make the straw and muck scattered on the floor look like gold. The remanence of cows not long moved out.

I hope you will indulge the romantic images I have painted here as I felt them at the time, and still do but do not be mistaken that I am unaware of the mammoth task in hand to rebirth such a place if gifted to me.

I'm approaching this from a lifetime of knowledge of listed buildings and blacksmithing know-how. Furthermore, I believe I have a holistic understanding of all levels of life be it animal, plant or human and a sensitivity and respect for the space, not forcing my own identity onto it. For any one person to take this on alone would be foolish so here I am, asking for help.

The vision

I see a permaculture landscape with an off-grid, 2 bed cottage restored nestled in the heart of it. Herbs and a small kitchen garden surrounding her with a wood fire heated bath tub nestled in amongst the plants.

I see chickens scratching around a root cellar dug into a bank. Further away from the house I see herb fields and a larger kitchen garden supplying dried herbs and produce to individuals and businesses.

I see a small amount of timber growing for future heating in amongst a nut grove. A place where community comes together, to grow food and ground to the earth. I see a space for a red tent, where women can gather and be held when the moon is full.

I imagine I'd live there alone or with one or two others but with a desire to share the space with the larger community that doesn't have access to such a place. Where people can hold workshops to pass on knowledge and wisdom and be held. We are in a world that is spinning out, now is the time to come together in new and older ways to help support each other and the earth for a better future.

I am here to call on community now to enable me to answer the call of such a place. I have most of the money to commit to this possibility but this is a cottage that is due to go to auction with a guid price of 250k this coming Thursday (16th May 2024) after noon, there is no knowing which way it could go as it all depends on the day. I've done what I can quietly to this point, but now its time to share it with a wider audience that may share this vision with me or wish to help out in any small way they can.

So I ask first of everyone that has known me. To all that have loved or been moved by the artwork I've made. My offering to you in return is my art. I have gathered all the works most recently done, from the the start of this new chapter in my life.

Many of you will have seen my artwork and the wall hangings that I designing and made in community and alone, starting 10yrs ago. These pieces and the stories they can tell excite me more now than ever. They are calling me back in, they came about from a fascination of mark making, texture and quilting.

  • Mark making from intention and or commitment as a way of processing an internal dialogue or to tell a story of connection

  • Texture from objects that hold their own stories of the life they have lived and the people that created them

  • Quilting for the stories woven into each shape, connecting women together and in some communities, even helping show others a path to safety or a way around the powers that be

Throughout history, from the moment we evolved on this planet, the genus homo was mark making and storytelling and women have mostly held this role, being the storytellers and wisdom keepers of the past. Without the weavers of song or hand, there is so much knowledge that would have been lost to the wind. I do not suggest myself to be one of these women yet as I am still learning the stories to share. Through my artworks, I hope to share the stories of how I'm getting to that point and those of others I'm gifted along the way.

Through the wall-hung art I am offering up, I ask in exchange for your support in helping this dream become the reality I feel. Each hanging is a small snippet of my own personal stories of rediscovery and acceptance. I made all of these works intentionally after meditation on different stages of my development and as a tool to befriend the beautiful darkness within and to see it as such. To step away from forcing and to be at one with what is, while at the same time moving with what feels intentionally authentic.

I would also like to bring in the opportunity to make larger hung works with or for you. As a family and or group of friends or even as an event where everyone gets to forge into a shape and tell their own story individually or as one. Through that bringing together, we can see how our stories are not just our own and we are all connected as one. If this is of interest please get in touch.

This might be too far out there for you to connect with and that's okay. I'm grateful for you reading this far. This might be drawing you in and sending shivers up and down your body as it is me, or you might be somewhere else on it entirely and that’s ok. All is possible. Thank you for hearing me out.

I invite you to join me in whatever way you feel drawn to. Please share this with anyone or everyone you know. There is power in community and this is a crunch time moment. It feels right to be sharing this with you now and I am open to what unfolds and trust that whatever is meant to be, will happen as it's meant to.

  • all funds are raised I will be able to go ahead and take this forward to the auction this Thursday 16th May.

  • If funds are able to exceed 50K, the chance of winning the auction increases greatly

  • If funds given exceed and I win under the total, any extra funds will go into restoring the cottage back to her former glory.

  • If the goal is reached but not enough to win the auction, all profits will be held ready to go for the next place that shows itself fit for this dream.


Whatever happens, the artwork you buy or commission in exchange will come to you and hugs will be given ( there is a hug option :D )

Due to the short time frame, it will not be possible to work out postage costs in advance. This will come later.

With this cottage, I feel deeply in my bones that this is the one. If you're still reading this, I know you feel it too. Go and have a look at the gift exchange options I have listed and share near and far, time is of the essence.

Come with me in making this dream a reality.

You can find all I offer currently in the shop, here on my websight. If you have an ideas for a commission that can support this please do get in touch. Im grateful for you in being apart of this, even if its just reading what i have to share. It all helps as who knows where any of this may lead xx much love and thanks Rebecca

Loseley Chapel Gates and Railings

I am an artist-blacksmith working with skills that I have developed through a lifetime of growing up amongst blacksmiths. My father is Terrence Clark and it was by his side and the whole blacksmithing community that I learnt and practised the craft. Some would say that I have iron/blacksmithing in my blood. My earliest memory of blacksmithing was ‘obliterating’ a piece of steel under the power hammer as a seven-year-old and running amuck at forging events. I remember as a kid, being in awe of many blacksmiths, by their love and passion for the material and their playful outlook on life. Throughout my younger years, our house and many others would be filled with the sound of laughter as blacksmiths of varying abilities would work and play. Parties and events would come and go. At each event I would be taken under the wing of someone and be taught something new and I was hungry to learn. Being a part of it all gave me joy; it was an extended family, a community of free thinkers with exuberance for the possibilities of what metal could become. I only really started to get to truly know everyone once I’d been working in the field for a few years.

Many years ago, as I was poking my nose through some drawings in the archives at Hereford College, I came across a design for a hinge-plate that fascinated me. I didn’t take note of the name of the designer at the time, but I wish I had so that I may thank them for providing the perfect solution to my recently installed gate at Loseley Chapel in Surrey, UK. The original commission for the Loseley Chapel was for a set of chapel gates and a pair of balustrades, which lead down to a vault within the chapel itself. The chapel is adjacent to St Nicholas’ Church in Guildford, Surrey and dates back to the 13th century. It has been rebuilt three times since then, with the last build occurring in 1876. The vault within the chapel was created in 1838. The commission was later expanded to include railings to surround the entrance down into the chapel. This was a thoughtful addition to the commission, as it allowed for a continuity of design across all works. I feel very strongly about getting something right for the space and the need to consider all angles and how they connect to each other. The vault railings and gate have complementary detail, whereas the outer railing is infilled with glass. This was to draw you towards the chapel and the focus within it. These particular details along with the sweeping arches at the top of the gate are references to the vaulted ceiling and its structural connections. As part of any design, I try to take inspiration from the site. Within the church there was a beautiful detailed area where a section of steel passes through on the diamond. I felt it would be a great way to visually lighten the frame, transitioning the central section from 40mm to 20mm and back again to the next supporting upright. I added a little cut-in detail to give the suggestion of the angle returning again, once the material widened.

I designed the centre panel of the gates to house two lock plates. Also, to display two crests and two motifs. My fortuitous meeting with John Carballo many, many moons ago at our local pub where we had exchanged a leg of pork for a leg vice, came full circle when we met again on this project. John was the lead stone mason, who had been working on other aspects of the church, including the painstaking restoration of the chapel itself. This allowed me the opportunity to consider using another material. I asked John if he would like to collaborate and make a pair of motifs for the centre panel of the gate. I’m glad he accepted because not only did John make them to wrap around the uprights to create a wonderfully snug fit, the visual softness of the stone balanced out the other elements of the panel. We then pinned them in place through the top and bottom. it was a pleasure to work with him. The crests in the centre panel represent the local families Moore and Molyneux that have connections with the chapel dating back to before 1520, when a large altar tomb was built for William Moore of Loseley, the builder of the present Loseley house. The Moore-Molyneux’s still reside at Loseley House to this day. I took the design from images held in the chapel and church archives. The crests are 4mm repousse copper and fixed with rivets to a back plate that was first riveted to the upright that passes between the layers creating a plaque sandwich. I went with such a thick copper to create more depth in the finished piece. There is only one lock on the gate but for design purposes I made two lock boxes to visually balance the centre panel. The interior of the empty lock box, though small, provides a handy storage spot for spare bushes and parts that may be of use in the future.

Considering the installation of the gates for the chapel presented an interesting design problem. I needed a solution to not being able to drill into the floor when hanging the gate, because of underground electrics. The seed that was planted all those years ago flashed into consciousness and the Hereford College hinge-plate drawing came to mind. I knew then it was the perfect solution. The gate, unable to take the weight in the usual way through the floor, places the hinge-pin in a wall-mounted bottom plate with a bronze top-hat bush, so that the connection could be taken into the wall but the pressure remains downwards. The wear occurs on the bush and not the gate itself. By making it this way, the bottom journal is made visible and celebrated with an added touch of contrasting metals. Although I enjoy designing and creating elegant solutions to design problems, I really love the actual making of the object and particularly the detailed work which brings the design to life. All connections are considered and thought given to the interaction between pieces and the space around them. For example, tenons on angled junctions are extended a little and the angled rivets on the diamond bar were details I felt were worth the effort. Also, for the fire-weld, I felt it important to have a naked connection as it were, to show the raw transition between angles similar to those on the ceiling of the vault.

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I hung the gate using a strap hinge finished with a detailed hot-cut to reference the sweeping arches of the vaulted ceiling. Indeed, the arcing lines and angles of the architecturally magnificent vaulted ceiling were key elements in my design of the gate and the vault handrails. I intentionally left a ‘bulge’ above the strap hinge where the gate curves to the roof, as I like to draw attention to the materiality of the metal, to juxtapose the soft and the crisp edges.

This commission was a wonderful project to work on. I wanted to contribute to the long history of the local chapel by designing and making a gate that would stand the test of time. It required me to consider every element of the design, from the overall site-specific aspect right down to every angle of every intersection. It demanded immense focus and emotional energy from me. During the making of the balustrade and part of the gate, Nathan Baker gave me an extra pair of hands which were very gratefully received. On a personal note, in my journey as an artist, I found a burgeoning desire to bring a more intuitive approach to the design and the making of these gates and railings. This was a developed step on from my previous way of working and I feel as though I have progressed in many ways as a result of having done this commission. In the making of this gate, I started to come into my own. From growing up in a male dominated craft, I have at times, suppressed the feminine within, in the belief that it is a negative and weak thing to succumb to. I have for many years felt the need to prove myself as being just as strong or worthy and to arm myself against unwanted male attention. This is partly my state of mind but has been continually undermined by the naivety of the general public and some overseas smiths. The objects I create are a piece of me, it is forever interconnected to the experiences and environment around me, so to not share the whole of it would be hiding. I feel it is only when we are vulnerable that we can grow.

Emma Collaboration

After flying over the province of Saskatchewan, Canada and landing in Saskatoon, a city of 257,000 people in the heart of prairie country, I was greeted by the talented blacksmith and all-round nice guy Craig Campbell. Craig and his wife Bev, generously accommodated several international artists including myself for the time that we were in Saskatoon.

The first trip out of town was to head up to the Boreal Forest to demonstrate blacksmithing at the wonderful Ness Creek music festival, and to check out the Ness Creek site.  I would be spending most of the following month at Ness Creek making stuff at the 2018 Emma Collaboration event and teaching at the Forest Art event. My usual travel sickness had no chance to take hold as for the two and a half hour drive we only went around five gentle bends and one dip in the road!

The Emma Collaboration is a biennial event running for a week. The aim of the gathering is for artists/makers to come together and experiment, to share skills and ideas, to ‘play’ without the responsibilities and routine of everyday life. It is similar to musicians getting together to jam, and like music, the creative possibilities seem to be infinite.

At the Ness Creek site, work spaces were set up covering a range of materials and techniques. There were areas to work with wood, metal, glass, fibre, leather, printmaking, jewellery, painting and of course, blacksmithing. One of the most interesting work areas was set up for a technique which I have not previously encountered.  This technique is called encaustic painting and is the process of applying molten wax colours to a surface to create images and decoration. Because wax is used as the pigment binder, encaustics can be sculpted as well as painted and other materials can be encased or collaged into the surface using the encaustic medium. It is a fascinating and ancient technique which I hope to explore at the next Collaboration.

It was my first time attending such an event. Before I went to the Collaboration I felt there were so many creative possibilities to explore with blacksmithing and metal forming.  Now, having collaborated myself and seen the collaborations of others across many artistic forms, I am excited and almost overwhelmed by the vastness of creative possibility. 

It was an ideal creative environment for there were no expectations or limitations*. One could work with whoever, wherever, at whatever time and for as long as one wished.  It was easy to become engrossed with the making and when the air horn sounded to signal food was ready, it was always a surprise how quickly the time had passed.  Mealtimes were enjoyable exchanges of inspiration and excitement as each told of their current range of projects or sought help with problems. * There were in fact two expectations: sign up to the washing up roster and don’t leave food out for the bears.

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There was much to stimulate the creative mind. The first place I was drawn to was the wood workshop, known at the site as ‘upper wood’. I was warmly welcomed to the stage as I expressed my desire to try woodturning. I have used a metal lathe many times in the forge but woodturning was a whole new experience. It was so different and satisfying to be tactile with the material, to be able to the touch and smell the wood.

I spent the next three days transfixed by the lathe absorbing advice from many skilled and experienced artists. It was like stepping from one family to another, as they shared their knowledge freely and let me experiment without judgement.

Throughout the week there were many enlightening conversations with criticism being open and honest.  Every possibility was explored in the search for a solution to a problem. These conversations were more expansive when several people from different disciplines were involved, and often resulted in surprising and innovative resolutions. With my knowledge of metal, I was able to advocate the idea that metal can be used to complement other materials without dominating or distracting. I was able to demonstrate this fine balance when in the last few days I collaborated with other woodworkers to make stands for their works.  One of these works was called ‘Boat People’.

I was surprised by the attachment I felt to the bowl I spent three days turning on the lathe but, this event was about collaboration and I learnt a valuable lesson in relinquishing artistic directorship. I realised that sometimes works are made with a clear vision but sometimes works are made on a much more randomised and intuitive path.  Both these ways of making art are valid. The other thing I learnt was that no one person is the fount of all creative possibility and that to collaborate with other artists opens up creativity.

  I have come away from the Emma Collaboration inspired and refreshed. It was an amazing experience to creatively interact for a dedicated week. I look forward to, and I urge others, to arrange a get together with other makers/artists, even if just for an evening or weekend, and to just play and make stuff with your pooled spare materials.  The social connections relieve the isolation of working on one’s own and serendipity is given a space to work it’s magic.  Apart from that, it is just plain fun.

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Photos where taken by Gary Robins, Nathan Puffalt and Myself.

Supersized

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I have been wanting to make a supersized version of the double kinked bowl for some time but had not decided how to go about texturing the material. I looked into hiring a road roller but decided to see what would happen when getting passing traffic to drive over the stainless steel sheets for me. I've just moved to a new temporary location so the metaphorical connections to travel and new beginnings is a strong one. The interactions I’ve had during the texturing of this piece so far have been great and It’s definitely one way to meet your new neighbours and it helps massively when they get a delivery by a 6 wheeled lorry !

It’s life’s interactions that shape us and send us in all sorts of different directions. Travelling from one state to another, letting go and moving on, encapsulating a state of time, mind and energy. A visual emotive moment captured in metal and the only wear is time and its environment... in the end everything has to let go no matter how hard it is.

One surface is hard and unyielding the other firm yet willing, they aren't equal within there partnership so there interactions will be limited as the material work hardens and so will take less pressure ending in a resistance to carry on in its current trajectory unless heat is applied. With such a big sheet of stainless heat will only buckle it so planning is in order before the next stage is taken...