I just wanted to tell you about the amazing course I attended last week at West Dean College, thanks to the amazing Betty Merritt bursary I received from the WI.  I was so excited to receive the bursary and the first thing was to choose a course. I decided to try Sheet Metal Sculpture because it was something I had never tried before ( although I did make a key ring at school) and it sounded exciting being in the forge.

We arrived on Sunday night there were six people on the course all with differing levels of experience using metal. After introductions and dinner we had a look at the types of metal we would be using, the mark making and examples of previous students' work. The theme for the sculpture was natural forms, and everyone had different ideas as to what they would like to create. I had decided to book a room at West Dean to totally immerse myself. So after this session I took myself of to bed, arranging to meet the other residential students for breakfast which we did every day.

On Monday we had our breakfast and then headed off to the forge where the work started. We learned so much on that first day. We each had a piece of aluminium, copper and steel to work with. We found out how to cut metal using snips and a wonderful power cutter, how to heat the metal up in the forge or with what looked like a huge blow torch. That was a bit scary at first .but we soon got used to it. Then onto filing, next we were bashing our metal pieces to give it textures using punches and chisels etc.  We learned how to shape metal using various techniques so that we could make rounder objects such as bowls and also learned how to put creases and folds in. We finished up learning how to attach metal pieces together using rivets .

The day was exhausting but luckily we had tea and coffee breaks and lunch was served in the college. By now we had ideas of what we would like to make. After dinner, Jules and I spent the evening making templates out of card ready for the next day. After a hot chocolate we said goodnight and headed off to our rooms, carrying out templates with us. 

For my sculpture I and taken inspiration from the South Downs and the metal signs that welcome you to the South Downs National Park. I love the way the hills flow, broken up by trees and the river Arun. So I had made a template to try and capture this.

We had learned to much on Monday I was just hoping I could remember it all on Tuesday,

Tuesday came round quickly and we were back in the forge. Choosing the metal, cutting it, filing it and  then heating it up so that it would be malleable  and we could bash it with hammers and other tools. I loved the way the copper turned bright red when heated, and then plunged into cold water, the steam would rise and the noise was incredible. The steel was harder to work with as it so much stronger and had to be worked on whilst it was hot  just taken from the forge.  We spent the whole day working on our pieces. My arm ached from bashing metal, the steel toe caps made my feet feel like they were made of lead, my face was covered in muck and I was exhausted. We headed back to the college building for a clean up and then dinner. After dinner I had an early night as i needed to lie down. 

On Wednesday, we worked on our individual pieces again. I had  three parts to my South Downs and wanted to join them together so that the middle section was moveable . This meant I had to rivet the back and front onto a section of steel.  The tutor helped make a groove to move the middle section. After lunch we finished our pieces, polishing them and waxing if needed.

The course came to an end and we all showed our final pieces and talked about what had inspired us and what we had enjoyed. I spoke about the beautiful South Downs, others had leaves, a fish, a hazelnut and a Picasso style face. Our designs were all so different. 

So it was time to say goodbye. I'd had a lovely time. The tutor was amazing working hard to help us all. The other people on the course were helpful and funny. West Dean College was so beautiful and the food was great. I left West Dean College inspired and utterly exhausted in equal measure. All thanks to the Betty Merritt bursary. I am so grateful.

Kind regards

Linda