Rubbing

 Without a true space to call mine for making whilst we are at the cottage, it is sometimes hard to settle and spread out and leave things out as they percolate and I cogitate. I have come more to the view now that what I can do here is prepare. I can make some bits and pieces that may end being part of some other bits and pieces sometime down the track.

In doing this I am trying to make use of special things, from here, that I can’t take home with me or use at home. Last time I used horse hair brushes I made from the cropped tail of our neighbour’s horse Shadow. This time I am working with some of the stones from here as we have nothing like them back in Maleny, and also some of the rusty pieces we have found here.

This week was sunny at times so I made the most of the warm dry walls of the cottage, and took some graphite rubbings.

I tried about three of four types of paper, and at different times battled the breezes that kept wanting to lift the paper. I got some really interesting marks and I love what is happening.

The papers were mostly lightweight and picked up just the tops of the stone, and I occasionally went in deeper and pressed around edges. Interestingly different results.

As ever, I love how the light plays.

My fingers were shiny by the end!

The sunshine had us out and about, and in our ongoing hunt for brochs, we found our way to Thing’s Va broch just outside Thurso. It was a long haul but a great vista. This broch is apparently important as 2000 years ago it was built and inhabited, and then 1000 years later the Norse made use of it as their sort of Parliament.

Anyhoo, here Dad and I are at the top…

And the sky, rocks, wood and wire bring constant joy.