Description
Stone, metal and mixed media sculpture, revolving around the theme of identity.

News/events
It’s September again, and I can’t believe the year has passed so quickly! Many of you came to visit us last year, to look round the studio. Well; there’ll be more going on this time.
We now have two others artists working there, and using the ‘blue earthworm’ workshop as their main base. In January, we were lucky enough to find Sarah Wilkie, a very talented jeweller who graduated from Loughborough (with a first class degree) a short while back. She went into commercial practice, and added some very useful production methods to her portfolio of skills. I’ve learned a great deal from Sarah...she’s an intuitive teacher, and great fun to be with. Sarah has already started running workshops here, and will shortly be running more classes. They have titles like ‘Make a ring in a day’ where students get the chance to make a hand forged piece of silver that they can take home with them. Sarah brings an easy ‘can do’ attitude to her teaching, which is confidence inspiring. I am less inspired by Sarah’s singing, (which, although enthusiastic, needs a little fine tuning) and think she should stick with us for a while yet.....
We’ve also, very recently, been joined by Dee Rivaz, who is a mixed media artist and writer. She also, I’ve lately discovered, does an awful lot more than that! Dee will be running some felting demonstrations during the Helfa Gelf weeks, and displaying her panel that she is making for a school residency that she and I have worked on together during the summer. Dee’s abilities range far and wide; she’s been running community arts workshops for six years, now.  An inexhaustible fund of great ideas, and enthusiasm, Dee has a magical ability to weave stories, games and artworks out of wild, found and recycled materials.
And me? I’m still here, making things out of silver, but now beginning to draw my focus back toward sculpture.  This autumn, Susie Liddle (artist number 49, Gwrych Contemporary artists) and I are working together on a series of work in which we’ll both study a subject we can interpret in our own way. Susie is a printer, working in a range of techniques. Her work revolves around the theme of sweetness and innocence, but exposes the darker undercurrents that have always preyed upon, and ultimately destroyed this fragile trait.
I will be making sculptures out of slate, wool, gold leaf, paper, glass, etc. to explore a similar theme.
Dee, Susie, Sarah and I will have a range of pieces for sale. I’ve had enquiries from other artists, too, about displaying work here. I don’t know myself, as this goes to be printed, what the final mix will be.
Sarah and I have started to produce a range of romantic fairytale silver crowns, which will be available to hire for weddings from early next year. Come and discuss any ideas you have!
All three of us are putting together a programme of classes – because we’ve had a lot of enquiries from both people wanting to learn, and people wanting to teach. All from beginner level upward....we’re in touch with a lot of highly skilled makers and artists. So if you’ve ever wanted to learn a skill, the blue earthworm is probably the place to come and chat about it.
We’re opening up for Helfa Gelf for four weekends this year. I won’t be in on the first and third Saturdays.  Either Dee or Sarah might be, though... so give them a ring to check. The number’s in this brochure. There’s a warm welcome, and a cup of tea waiting for you. If you get there early, there may even be some cake left......

Directions to studio
Junction 25 off A55. Straight up hill by castle. At end of wall, where road turns left, take slip road.