Bathed in light

One of the really great things about my job is that you get to visit places off the beaten track and meet some fascinating people who you would otherwise only pass in the street without a second glance. 

Last Friday was a beautiful day, warm early spring sunshine, a gin clear sky; one of those days you are glad to be alive. Walking through the graveyard of StMary's church Limpley Stoke was absolutely serene. A stunning English vista over the Cotswolds towards Bradford-on-Avon, buzzards riding invisible thermals and the song of a lark drifting timelessly on the merest zephyr of a breeze. 

The beautiful little church has stood on this spot for over a thousand years and sits so perfectly into the landscape that it appears organic with it. You enter the Saxon Nave through a uniquely wonky 13 century porch in the north wall. As the heavy, original oak door slowly creeks open, the visitor enters and descends some ancient and well worn stone steps to witness the most breath taking sight; this stunning ancient building is bathed in the most glorious light. Pinks, yellows, blues and a myriad of shades in between, and all coming from a small single window in the South Aisle. Unlike the very old lead lights and 18/19th century traditional stained glass windows, this small modern piece dominates and draws the eye. With the sun just west of south it casts the most glorious coloured shadows, dancing over the stone flags and radiating softly of the lime washed walls. 

It is a piece by a very well know Bath glass artist, Mark Angus. It is a thoroughly modern window and appears to depict a cloaked figure kneeling; beyond that, it is, in the words of the artist "what you want it to be". You can look for deep meaning, or just enjoy the beauty of it shapes, lines and colour. Like all great works of art, it makes you think and holds your attention, it is as organic to the church as the church is to the landscape. 

We can but dream. 

Business update

It's been a while since my last post so thought I should really update our current position. The run up to Christmas was very busy and to be honest, I was only able to do about a third of the jobs on the books. The problem was, as last year, studio space; or to be more precise, lack of it. I need to be able to work on two large projects and one small one, as well as running a course simultaneously. Current space is only enough for one large job, so working consecutively involves packing and unpacking. 

My long term plan has always involved building a larger studio, but a large capital investment would have to be paid for, and the only way to do that would be by going fully commercial and charging for my work, and that's not what we are about. 

So with a New Year hangover, I thought bugger it, just work harder for a change. Since then I have been working almost full time, doing 17 or 18 hour days. This has paid for a big log cabin, and with the ground works half done, I am hoping to be up and running by the end of March, on the same site. Lots of hard work needs relaxation, so our boat has had a bit of a battering as well. The photo is from our mooring at the wonderful Thornham marina in Chichester harbour, the tide is ebbing and a glorious sunset is dramatically lighting the storm cloud which has just passed. It is moments like this which makes life worth living.