Waiting for the storm to pass

This picture was a labour of love. Usually I go down to the harbour to draw but on this occasion I took photos as the weather was rough and all the boats were parked up waiting for a break in the storm, it was cold and windy and not a day for hanging about. I did one small pen and ink then one large full sized charcoal drawing of which I used as a template for the wire. There is no use trying to guess a picture, it needs to be right before I start, but I also never know how it will go or what I'm going to do until I start, a bit like starting to write a novel but only vaguely knowing the main characters name but not knowing what the plot will be. I used a variety of different kinds of wire including forging a piece of copper rod. The work tooks weeks, I pondered over it for months. Once the wire part had been completed I laquered it and the resulting drip effect I was very happy about. But the most difficult part is adding the pieces of colour, always, this never gets easier. Each piece on this picture came from Scrabster beach, a piece of rusted scrap metal and a piece of boat wood washed up. The picture spent 6 months at a gallery in Broughty Ferry and now is home where it belongs. I do hope someone buys it and loves it, but if they don't I have the perfect spot on the wall at home!

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Sunday sketchbook tour at John O’Groats

I took a small group of artists out for a sketchbook class one Sunday and we settled at John O’Groats harbour. Thankfully it was unseasonably warm which made the whole experience very pleasant for outdoor drawing in March (from this photo you will see we dressed for the expected temperature but we were able to sit comfortably for 2 hours) This is the north of Scotland after all, who doesn’t come dressed with woolly hats and fingerless gloves at this time of year! A collaboration between John O’groats Mill Trust and Lyth Art Centre funded the project. The aim, to offer an architectural tour around the newly refurbished mill and surrounding area. The project was slightly behind schedule and therefore still technically a building site so we opted to not walk over to the mill as we’d have had to view it behind a tall fence at the path. It didn’t spoil our day though as we enjoyed tackling the colourful buildings of John O’groats with boats in the foreground. The island vie...

Marble from the beach

"The sea does not reward those who are to anxious, to greedy, or too impatient. To dig for treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience, patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach- waiting for a gift from the sea." A Gift FromThe Sea. This quote resonated with me as it wasn't until I read it that I realised that I never dig for that special something on the beach. Like I've said before, there is absolutely nothing of interest on my local beach at the foot of my garden, but once in a while something catches my eyes and the excitement of picking up a piece of glass or pottery never wanes. Usually it turns out to be either broken shell or a piece of plastic. This ring is for a new group exhibition in Thurso gallery on 23rd september 2016 then Wick afterwards. I am drawing on personal experience and this particular piece places the sea washed marble as something very s...

Pricing jewellery

Much has been written and spoken about recently on the rising cost of silver in the media; the political landscape coupled with the new industrial demands for the material has created a perfect storm. The leap in cost crept up slowly until the middle of 2025 and then pounced on jewellers right before Christmas. Especially those, like me who have varying requirements of silver purchases which makes it more difficult to notice the rise as each purchase is slightly different in weight. On top of that, I personally haven’t reassessed my prices since I initially calculated the costs for me to sell wholesale, when I attended Scotland’s Trade Fair at the SECC in 2024. To work out the costs, I had carefully timed myself making various items in the workshop, then made the assumption that I could probably make more than one item in an hour, and priced accordingly. The mistake I made at that point was not taking in to consideration the extra time it may take to cut an...

Lindsey Gallacher

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