Sunday

Having made several visits to the Mining Museum at Middlestown taking photographs and making sketches I was really impressed with the gallery that just deals with the use of children down the mines; some aged 4 and 5 working in tunnels 18" high. It really 'got' to me. They had to drag along baskets full of coal tied to a piece of wood that covered their shoulders. The literature for sale in the shop has some useful images that provoked ideas.

I have to decide how my work will fit into the exhibition venue, not just from a size point of view but also with the ambiance of the building.

Using some balsa wood I made a pit trolley that may look interesting made in lead. Balsa wood is a really nice way of making shapes from; its so light and easy to cut that there is hardly any mess...no complaints from anyone...and when photographed can be any size you want it to be. The basket idea could also be in lead, my model was very quick to make using cardboard. I could cut strips of lead quite easily...mmm ideas. I wondered about using wood but that would just end up looking like a copy of one with is not my intention.

I purchased a 7 kg piece of lead from my usual supplier on Church St in Ossett who I must remember to show some photographs of my work to. I began trying to beat the lead with various hammers [both wood and rubber] to try to make it thinner and therefore easier to handle. It is so heavy that to manipulate it can be difficult; I found holding one end while I wielded the tool proved precarious. It would fold over and threaten to split which drove me mad. I may have succeeded on a very large workbench with a few helpers. It was so disappointing and waste of a lovely strip of lead which is quite expensive.