/// The mixed metals skills development course at West Dean College ///

My Arts Council Develop Your Creative Practice grant funded a week long course at West Dean College down in West Sussex. The course was in mixed metals, and was taught by Patrick Davison, a professional silversmith.

Patrick creates wonderful patterns in his work using, you guessed it, mixed metals. Not just silver but a mix of silver, copper, brass, bronze and gold, alongside a Japanese alloy called Shibuichi. I’m a big fan of his work and the metal he creates; so many interesting patterns bringing an extra depth to his forms. I’m always looking for ways to progress and develop my work, inline with my aesthetics and ambitions and this course was the perfect next step.

Plus it was held at West Dean, and anyone who has attended a course there knows just how great it is. The courses are residential and West Dean is stunning inside and out, with gardens stretching as far as the eye can see. They have got the balance spot on; you are provided with all your meals so you don’t have to think about anything other than learning as much as you can on the course, and the setting is peaceful and relaxing with acres of fields, gardens and fresh air. Time really does stand still while you are there.

The course details stated we would learn how to make our own solder, something I had never even considered before. Although I am a silversmith I have never really thought about the alloy side of things - it all seemed a bit sciency and unnecessary for me to know. But now I’ve been doing it for a while I’ve started to be a bit more inquisitive about that side of things. And the more I know and understand, the more it feeds into the creating side of things.

Patrick was an excellent tutor and was very generous with his knowledge, sharing lots of tips and pointers as well as teaching us the content of the course. Over the week we covered numerous different ways to create new patterned sheets, how to make our own different solders, how to create the Japanese alloy Shibuichi, and also how to make our own gold alloys too. So now I have the thought to find the exact colour of gold I like, and to create that as my signature gold to use in new designs!

I learnt so much, my head is full of ideas and my book brimming with notes. I’ve a tool box full of experiments from the week, which I carefully noted down so I can build upon these while continuing to play and experiment before incorporating these into future designs. So keep your eyes peeled - you’ll be seeing my work taking a new direction very soon!

As ever I am very thankful to the Arts Council England for funding this opportunity, it has been so important to my work and development as a silversmith. It is helping me to secure a future career in a craft I am so passionate about.