Last week I was at SSW (Scottish Sculpture Workshop) on a bronze casting course. It was a brilliant experience and I learn a lot about working with bronze, a very traditional material with many appealing properties. I wanted to bring the material value and tradition of bronze casting into my work, and juxtapose these qualities with my broken found objects. The strength and meaning behind the bronze which I cast into a chair leg compared to the weakened, discarded old chair where the wax cast came from brought to light an interesting counter balance for me. Trying to marry these two opposing materials will be a constant battle.

At SSW I talked to the technicians working there, one of the assistant technicians was a recent graduate from Dundee University, and was doing a year apprenticeship at SSW. He said it has been a brilliant experience, and he didn't go in with a background in working with bronze, but has learnt a lot from being there and is going on to work in Venice for a year when he has finished at SSW. Applying for an apprenticeship like this after I graduate would be something I would be really be interested in. Not only would it be a valuable experience learning all about the different materials and processes, there would be access to facilities for the whole year of your apprenticeship to work in your spare time. An apprenticeship as a technician would be great for me CV and would open doors to work in all kinds of different places, and as a material based sculptor, I could really develop my skills in my chosen field.