Aiden Bell-Smith was able to learn about casting glass in North Lands Creative in Scotland with help from the Mike Davies Innovation Scholarship.
When returning to start his second year of BA Glass and Ceramics, Aiden felt he had lost out on valuable experiences in the glass field over the summer break, as he had been working at his previous seasonal job instead of looking for opportunities within the field.
He said: “This feeling propelled me to look into short courses to increase my skills and knowledge within the glass profession, as I felt I was lacking the expertise with which to express my originality.”
He continued: “During term time I researched glass training facilities all over the globe and looked at their summer programmes. This is how I found out about the one-week course ‘Anatomy and Glass’ in Lybster led by Alan Horsley.”
During the classes Aiden learned the processes needed for lost wax casting and gained lots of pointers from Alan, who is at the forefront of sculptural casting.
Aiden said: “The course has expanded my understanding about figurative work and, in turn, will lead to innovation in my future practice.”
He concluded: “Without the financial support from the Mike Davies Innovation Scholarship I would have never been able to take part in this workshop. Thank you Mike for this opportunity to experience new skills and ideas, which will hopefully lead to innovative ideas in my own practice and development.”