This is a model, of sorts, that I recently completed for John Dewar and Sons. I say that as it's hard to describe exactly what it is... definitely some bits of model, put together in case, as an aid to describing the process of making whisky. The client approached me with a brief of a portable model of the distilling process, and I designed and produced this. Each section represents one of the six key stages to production, and they are presented in an oak case with leather finishing, with brass inlay on the spines. A lot of different processes went into this, so it was kind of complex, but I learnt a lot and I think it came out ok!
The Big Move
So, after six years in the Hidden Lane, the time has come for a change. Finch & Fouracre has moved to The Whisky Bond!
For those that don't know it, if you're familiar with Glasgow you may still recognise it. It is a massive red brick warehouse that sits on the banks of the canal next to Speir's Wharf, and can be spotted quite easily from town and parts of the west end. It was built in the 50s as a bonded warehouse for whisky, not long after became a mushroom farm, and then lay derelict for years. It's now been converted into studio spaces, and Glasgow Sculpture Studios occupy the bottom three floors of the building. Two more floors have recently been renovated, and I'm lucky to say one of the new studio spaces is now F&F HQ.
I've loved being in the Hidden Lane, and being part of the community there. In my time in Finnieston, I've witnessed the area go from a scruffy student neighbourhood into Glasgow's most trendy district, which has been quite a thing to see. I think the Hidden Lane has contributed to that, with so many artists, designers and makers based there. I've met lots of lovely and talented people, and of course been part of the Hidden Lane festival. The workshop has been home to Finch & Fouracre from our early fledgling days, and served us very well. It is with a certain amount of sadness that I move on.
However, as you can probably tell from these images, I was definitely outgrowing the space I had there. I'm glad to say that business has been good, but it was getting increasingly difficult to manage projects with nowhere really to put models, and constantly having to shift stuff about to get a little bit of space to work in. My new space at the Whisky Bond is a fair bit bigger, so I've got room to spread out (and more room to mess up....!). I moved last week, and my dad generously came up to help construct work benches - I'm particularly excited about the one on castors!
So a new chapter starts. Wish me luck!
Two dreams jobs, and a nightmare.
Every job I take on is one I'm enthusiastic about, and I'm lucky enough to have had an amazing range of models to make and design over my 6 years working for myself. However, the last two I have completed have been dream jobs. The first, which you can see in my last post, was a sectional model of the National Museum of Scotland. This is such a beautiful gallery space, and I really got to indulge in the detail of the model. The second is pictured below - a 1:2500 model of Yorkhill/Finnieston. This includes the Hidden Lane (where F&F HQ is located), so an area I'm super familiar with, as well as some of Glasgow's most iconic architecture - the Armadillo, Hydro, Finnieston crane, and the Science centre and tower, as well as, of course, the Clyde. What an enjoyable model to make!
While making this model (specifically while sculpting the Armadillo) I got news of the fire at the Glasgow School of Art. I could smell the smoke in my workshop.
As a former art school student this hit me hard, I can empathise with the students, some of whom will have lost all their degree work. But also, this building is probably the most important in Glasgow, it's so precious to the city, and, to me, it's also a symbol of what brought me to Glasgow, the city which has been my home ever since.
In truth, it wasn't until I researched the building for the GSA model kit that I really appreciated it. I looked at it from all angles, studied sections and the fine details, and really saw this building for the masterpiece it is. I'm so thankful that the damage is not as bad as it looked, and so proud of the art school and for being a part of it.