December 2019

Glasgow Sculpture Studios, Tramway and Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre

By Norman 
 
This was a big day out for us and involved a lot of travelling - getting a direct train to Glasgow Central and then trying to navigate our way round a city which none of us are particularly familiar with. I've only ever been to Glasgow once and found it really freeing to go to another city, and the people were so friendly! To pass the time we drew on the train - sketching what we could see out the window, capturing the speed of the train and brief moments of pause trying to capture the small stations - you could call it 'motion art'. Our first stop was the Whisky Bond where the Glasgow Sculpture Studios are located, where we met Kirsty the engagement manager and were introduced to the sculptural workshop facilities they have there - I it was amazing to see the tools, kilns and glazes that artists use. We also met artist Beth Shapeero who has a studio there, alongside lots of other contemporary artists. Beth showed us some different Indian ink-based techniques, where we could select our own brush to make interesting lines and patterns attempting to not take our brush off the page. Later on Alice from Edinburgh Art Festival put all are artworks together to make an interesting installation... a bit trippy... like Bridget Riley! 

We then took the bus to Pollockshields East to Tramway - a very tranquil spot for viewing Zadie Xa's immersive film installation Child of Magohalmi and the Echoes of Creation and then venturing into the Hidden Garden. We spent some time outdoor sketching - it was lovely to sketch by the chimney, taking in the shapes of the historic windows, the trees, and also the Eastern influences of the garden with the Sikh Gurdwara next door.

Then we moved onto the Trongate, visiting the brilliant Sharmanka Kinetic Theatre - what a unique way to end the day with industrial mechanical art - chiming cogs, flywheels, clocks, bells and propellers!