As a response to the horrendous situation in Ukraine I’m running a little fundraiser competition so today’s blog is all about how you can get involved. All money raised will go straight to the Disasters Emergency Committee for Ukraine. I am donating the automata, all material costs and postage costs. I’d love you to take part and help me raise money to support the people of Ukraine. You need to go to my Just Giving page to contribute.

Sunyashniki

I have made sunflower automata in the past, as its the national flower of Ukraine it seemed obvious to fundraise around this beautiful flower. Sunflowers work so well as automata as they naturally turn throughout the day to follow the sun so turning the handle on the automaton to see the sunflower rotate makes perfect sense. I made a completely new automata especially for the competition from patinated copper, golden leaf and reclaimed hardwood. The title ‘Sunyashniki’ is Ukrainian for sunflower. By contributing to my fundraiser you will be in with the chance of winning the automata and helping a most worthy cause. Your name will go into a hat once for every £10 donated so donate £10 and get one chance to win, donate £30 and get 3 chances to win and so on. Don’t forget to tick the box to share your contact details with me so I can get in touch if you win! The competition closes on April 25th and a winner will be drawn and notified on April 28th. Full details of how it works are on my Just Giving page. You can see the automata at work on my website here.

Thanks for reading and taking an interest in sunflowers and causes.

Very best of luck!

Couldn’t let World Book Day pass by without some words. World Book Day’s a bit of a double edged sword for me as it brings horror as well as joy. Joy that books are given their own celebratory day and horror that I’ll have to help my daughter come up with a World Book Day costume for school! The costume isn’t needed till tomorrow so time for other things first… I’d like to focus on the enrichment that books have brought to my life. I’m an avid reader and always have been. Its not just the content of the books, the stories and the knowledge, but I love books as objects in their own right. I feel most at home in a room full of books!

One of my first automata featured a pile of old books. At the time I made it (2013) I was teaching on the craft element of the Foundation Course at Falmouth University (sadly no longer in existence - but that’s another story). I also worked closely with dyslexic students and had a keen interest in visual thinking as a learning model. As a staff we were invited to make a piece of work that would represent our work at the university so I came up with an automata as a self portrait. As you can see it features me having a good old think whilst sitting on a pile of books with copper and brass representations of thoughts spinning round my head. It felt like sacrilege when I drilled down through the books to transform them into a base but it was worth it to get the aesthetic I was after. The drilling allowed me to pass a tube of brass through the books so I could construct a solid base keeping everything together and creating a sound foundation for the automata. I have since made other versions of this piece, most notably one that featured an old Olivetti typewriter ordered as a gift for a Scottish writer. The original one remains on a shelf in my workshop - its not for sale but I have another daydreamy piece that can be bought from my online shop.

I’ve managed to hold on to books from childhood that are too precious to part with. My earliest book memory is of ‘Pookie’ by Ivy L Wallace. The beautiful illustrations of a misfit rabbit are etched into my memory and this particular page showing Pookie lost in the storm remains an abiding image of drama and fear. What a fabulous illustration of a tree caught in a storm, I need to revisit this book more often! You’ll be reassured to know that Pookie is rescued and finds shelter with a kind and welcoming fairy. Such a poignant story for our current times. It brings to mind the vital place for books in all our lives. Books can provide respite in difficult times and offer children specifically a much needed window into other worlds. My thoughts are with all those children that need such solace in their lives.

Phew! January is in the bag and lighter days with spring bulbs are making an appearance.

As a jeweller its impossible to welcome February in without thinking of St Valentine’s Day. Such a problematic festival. All very well if you’re loved up but awful if you’re in the throws of unrequited love!

I did a bit of research to figure out where all this forced romance comes from. I’d been under the impression that its one of the Christian festivals that was tagged on to a much older Pagan rite. I expected to read about boxing spring hares, fertility rites and ‘Wicker Man’ style shenanigans. It turns out there are possible links to the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia which occurred in mid February. But it seems any link to St Valentines Day is tenuous. Lupercalia was rooted with an order of monks called the Luperci, so named because of their connections to Romulus and Remus and their wolf mother. The story itself is wild, involving animal sacrifice, blood and fertility rites. Good old Romans! Its a far cry from the hearts and flowers of our familiar St Valentine’s Day but may provide inspiration for a wolfie automata in the future…

So who was St Valentine? Again, there are different stories and at least 3 different Christian Saints named Valentine - all martyred! The one we’re probably after was put to death by Roman Emperor Claudius II when he was caught illicitly marrying young couples. The problem was that only single men could be drafted into the Roman army so a hasty marriage was often sought to avoid the ravages of a soldier’s life. Charming old Claudius outlawed marriage for young men and good old Saint Valentine took pity and did the honours in secret. His reward was to be put to death, poor chap.

Whatever the roots of this festival of romance its very much part of our culture now which makes it the perfect time to share a pictorial explanation of romantic automata making.

This heart inspired automata was one of my earliest designs. It's cut out of sheet copper and brass, with bits of tube and wire. The whole lot is heat treated, soldered and formed into an open box with a revolving heart (oh yes, be still my beating heart!) The base is an offcut of oak reclaimed from a local woodworking business (more on that another time). The brass box is treated with copper nitrate to give a dark base to a top layer of golden leaf. The mechanism is made of a cam cut from copper and soldered to the central winding tube. The cam sits below a follower, also made from a disc of copper. The movement relies on plain old friction to spin the heart around.

I also made a slightly different version based on an old childhood favourite - the Loveheart. Might be making more of these. Any ideas for text? I seem to remember ‘Oh Boy’ as well as the usual ‘Kiss Me’ and ‘Be Mine’. Did you know that Lovehearts now have emojis on them? Oh how times change!

Following a photoshoot with John Hersey I now have a beautiful collection of new photos of my work. John also took photos of my hands and tools as he got excited by the opportunities offered in my tiny workshop. The photos were taken just as the light was going down on what had been a bright November day in 2021. John was keen to capture the light as it was offered, so the photos are rich in chiaroscuro (strong contrast in light and dark as seen in the paintings of Caravaggio!). I hope you’ll agree that the photos are beautiful works of art in themselves.

hammering a centre point on copper

One photograph shows the frequent process of hammering a centre point into metal prior to drilling a tiny hole. The hole could represent an eye on a character like a whale or it could be an entry way into the metal so that I can use a fret saw to cut a more complicated shape. Either way, I have been using the same centre punch and hammer since 1990. That’s the wonderful thing about the traditional metal working techniques I use, the tools are truly lifelong friends.

I felt an affinity with metal from the first time I tried silver soldering as a teenager. My mum is a potter and back when I lived at home I would often help her out at craft fairs. On one occasion she introduced me to one of her jeweller friends who showed me how to solder two bits of silver together. It seemed like magic then and still does. I love the fact that many of the tools I use today could have been used by our ancestors in the middle ages, or a similar version could have been used as far back as the iron age. There is a warmth and a humanity to hand tools that comes from repeated use, wearing the wooden handles into the shape of the maker’s grip.

Another photo captures me using a block of bees wax to ensure the tiny saw blades I use in the fret saw run smoothly to cut more intricate patterns into sheet metal. I can’t think how many of these saw blades I’ve burnt through over the years - they have a horrible habit of going ‘ping’ just at the wrong moment, there then follows a quick scurry around the workbench to find another.

People often assume there is a high tech option to cut copper into the tiny shapes and patterns that I use. If anyone knows of any that work then please let me know - I’m told that laser cutting copper is impossible because its so heat conductive that it seals itself right back up again - genius metal! However, I have to say that I really do enjoy the hands on approach. It ensures that every piece is entirely unique and adds that all important human quality that can’t be achieved any other way. So I will carry on using my fret saw, my snips and my decades old hammers to make my work.

Its been a while since I’ve added to my blog, apologies for the absence but its been for good reason. I’ve been busy working on new pieces and planning new strategies for my little micro business. You may need to bear with me whilst I organise a few changes to the website.

With the support of Cultivator Cornwall I’ve been working on a short film with film maker Florence Browne. We managed to choose a stunning day of autumn sunshine to film in my workshop and local area. Can’t wait to see the results - fingers crossed I can share the final cut on my website very soon.

On top of that I’m also making pieces for a photoshoot with fabulous photographer John Hersey. I’ll have a whole new collection of images to share with you in the not too distant future.

All these plans have got me thinking about what I do and why I do it. I’ve made an early new years resolution (yes - very early!) so I can share this with you on my blog. I’m planning on focusing on behind the scenes stories from the workshop. I do this already on Facebook and Instagram but I’ll be able to give you more detail here. Keep an eye out - you might just learn something!

Before I forget I should also let you know that I’m only doing one live Christmas event this year. I’ll be in Deveron village hall in Cornwall for Creek Arts Christmas Fair on December 4th. Hope you can make it along!

Meanwhile, orders and bespoke commissions continue coming in on the run up to Christmas. There’s a definite change in shopping habits going on with many people planning well ahead of the big day. Its gratifying to note that small businesses are being well supported in these tricky times so this is a good time to say a huge THANK YOU to all of you for showing an interest in my work. I really appreciate you reading this blog, browsing my website, following me on Instagram or Facebook (@esthersmithartist) and, of course, adding my pieces to your personal collection or your Christmas list!

Thanks for reading!

Happily the robins have no such trouble. We endured a weekend of constant high pitched cheeping as these most cheeky of fledglings demanded constant attention from their parents. The pip, pip, pipping went on all day, into the night and had begun again long before I surfaced in the morning. How the parent robins have the energy to keep themselves fed and watered, never mind look after their brood, is a mystery. I keep the bird feeders topped up! I caught another film of mother robin on our wheelbarrow - see if you can spot her baby underneath…and the wood pigeons in the background?

Activity in our garden is at an all time high. We’ve had many visits from a beautiful partridge with her tiny chicks who frantically hoovered up seeds discarded from the bird table. I shared a film I managed to catch of these cuties on Instagram a while ago (@esthersmithartist). Nature filmmaker I am not, but I was delighted to capture these ground dwelling birdies as they are rightly very shy. The chicks are so defenceless, I don’t fancy their chances against the neighbourhood moggies, they’re clearly not evolved to live in a semi-suburban environment. I have seen mother partridge wondering off along the pavement without noticing that her chicks were still on the road, unable to hop up over the height of the curb! (don’t worry - I intervened) Another rescue was required when mother partridge wandered off oblivious to the fact that her chick was unable to follow her up the stone steps in our garden - managed to get a photo of the wee fella! These little gems are built for woodlands and scrub, not for the world as we have made it. It tugs at the heart strings to see them struggle.

Ornithological interests run deep in my family so this is no pandemic sideshow. I’ve had my eye on the wee birdies for a long time as did my maternal grandad. Sadly, I was a mere babe in arms when my grandad, Len Fullerton, departed this world but he was a naturalist and illustrator so left behind a huge body of wonderful work. This sketch of a blue tit feeding her babies hangs in a corner of my workshop and inspires me to keep going on those days that are tricky. I grew up surrounded by works of his, revealing a deep love for British wildlife. Framed drawings of hares, badgers and hedgehogs hung just outside my bedroom when I was growing up. No question as to where my inspiration comes from, the same themes of hares and badgers often appear in my automata - I have yet to tackle a hedgehog but… watch this space, there are elusive sightings of this most prickly of creatures on dusky evenings on Saltbox Road.

June 23rd saw me in the window at the Guild of Ten in Truro taking my annual turn to display my work. I've been part of this craft cooperative since 2016. Being a democratic Guild we each have a chance to strut our stuff in the big beautiful window. I’m sharing the space with seamstress Christine Roxburgh who was sadly too poorly to come in and contribute. I managed to include some of her beautiful garments in my summery butterfly window. Yes, that meant spending most of Sunday dripping in glue and tissue paper as I constructed 3 oversized butterflies to add some dramatic and fluttery effect to Old Bridge Street! The paper butterflies tied in beautifully to my new summery automata with butterflies, dragonflies, bees and flowers. A large vase of cow parsley (or is it hemlock?!) set off my wee enamel flowers too. If you’re in Cornwall or heading down this way then do pop by the Guild of Ten to see the window. Automata are also in my website shop and you can see more pieces on Instagram if you search for me @esthersmithartist.

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Automata, jewellery and a lovely summer dress.

Can you spot me in the reflections?

The good people at the Crafts Council are hosting Hey Craft! from June 14th - 16th. There will be loads of crafty things to get involved with, least of all my own wee Zoom skillshare at 12pm on Saturday 15th. Come along, join in and learn how to make your very own automata…Go to Makers Cornwall event page for more info and free tickets here .

In accordance with the latest guidelines I’ll be taking part in Cornwall Makers ‘live craft fair’ on Facebook. Its happening on Saturday from 11 - 1pm. All you need is some wifi and a Facebook account. Look me up and watch live while I tell you about my work, my workshop and show you all the lovely bits and pieces I have in stock. Its not the same as mingling at a real fair, stopping for tea and cake, seeing things for real and turning tiny handles but its the best we can do at the moment. Hope you can join me and the gang at Cornwall Makers!

The Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Festival had to be cancelled this year but the hard working organisers have set up an alternative digital festival. Find it here! I will be talking about my work with organiser Sarah James at 3pm on Saturday. You can also watch a zoom film of a chat I had with 6 other makers who use stories in their work: Paper Jennifer, Suzanne Breakwell, Little Bits of Printy Things, James Green Printworks and Rachel Eardley. There are loads of other things to get involved with online over the weekend so hope you find something to keep you connected to craft!

A weekend exclusive craft fair followed by a week of workshops and exhibitions.

Upper Campfield Market Manchester

I’ll be exhibiting at this amazing event again this year. Come and find me on stand C18!

New jewellery with enamel details

I'll be taking part in this year’s Make exhibition at the Devon Guild of Craftsmen

I will be taking part in the Contemporary Craft Festival at Bovey Tracey, June 7 - 10 2018! 

Find out more and come along!

I will be accompanying an exhibition entitled 'The Marvellous Mechanical Museum' at Compton Verney, June 30 - September 30th.

I’m so delighted to have a piece of work in this stunning exhibition of automata in Falmouth Art Gallery - possibly the home of automata. The exhibition includes the work of Paul Spooner, Carlos Zapata, Keith Newstead, Fi Henshall, Peter Markey and many other fabulous automata makers whose work inspired me to take up the craft!

If you’re in Devon this autumn don’t miss the chance to pop in to Hybrid in Honiton. You’ll find my automata in their Autumn exhibition alongside a beautifully curated selection of artworks.

I will be taking part in the Winter exhibition at Fisherton Mill, Salisbury.