SIX OF THE BEST
Rosie Morton & Morag Bootland speak with six of the country’s talented artisans who are keeping traditional crafts alive
SF visits some of Scotland's most skilled artisan designers, artists and creators
Is there anything more relaxing and luxurious than soaking away the stresses of the day in a great big bath? Roddy Macdonald thinks not, and he is the man behind some of Scotland’s grandest tubs. Roddy has gone from working in the oil industry to building houses, and is now handcrafting beautiful baths from sustainable wood in his Black Isle workshop. These grand baths, costing £3,100-£3,300, grace some of Scotland’s fanciest bathrooms, not to mention those in New York, Ibiza, Mallorca, Russia and even Perth, Australia.
‘I recently received an enquiry from a lady who was actually in one of my baths at the Torridon hotel,’ laughs Roddy. ‘And I’m currently making one to go to California.’
Each bath takes between two weeks and a month for Roddy to craft, usually from ash, American long leaf pine or West African iroko, woods which are popular due to an absence of knots and the straight grain of the wood.
‘When I first started making baths from timber I went through lots of research to get to the method I use now. It’s fairly labour intensive, but that’s part of the handmade appeal,’ says Roddy.
Roddy’s baths can be supplied in a variety of finishes and with basins to match. All are coated in a hard-wearing epoxy resin to ensure that they last and are as easy to keep as clean as a conventional bath. www.woodenbathsltd.com
Achance encounter with Forres-based glass engraver Harold Gordon was all it took to capture Alison Kinnaird’s imagination. After graduating in Archaeology and Celtic Studies, she embarked on an artistic career that would see her exhibit in public, private and royal collections across the globe. An accomplished harp player as well as glass engraver, Alison was awarded an MBE for services to music and art in 1997.
Keeping the ancient tradition of wheel engraving alive, frequently combining it with sandblasting to create a painterly quality in her works, Alison has an extensive portfolio including large-scale architectural installations in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, the Scottish Parliament, the Royal Museums of Scotland and Dornoch Cathedral.
‘I have the most to say when I’m using the human figure to represent what I’m thinking about,’ says Alison, adding that music, nature and landscapes also play a part in her work. ‘I’ve got an installation of glass soldiers on show that represents how fragile life is in a time of war.’
The qualities of glass and the process of engraving continue to surprise Alison fifty years on. ‘It’s a very calm, meditative process. Glass is a beautiful medium to work in. In fact, that’s one of the problems – it’s very easy to turn out pretty work, but it’s very difficult to turn out strong work. You have to pick your subjects and interpret them in a meaningful way.’
To find out more about Alison’s work and exhibitions visit www.alisonkinnaird.com.
|
‘It’s a very calm, meditative process’ |