Adventures of a Workshop in Lockdown.
As anyone who isn’t living down a rabbit hole will know most of the world has gone into lock-down with Covid -19. Well here at Marble Art it’s no different.
Sent home early from our annual leave from Spain by the government, we rushed across the border to France with 2 hours to go and breathed a sigh of relief.
Now comes the hard bit, Lock-down in France means we can’t go out unless we are getting medical supplies, food or taking 1 hours exercise. We are very fortunate in that our workshop is on our own land isolated from the neighbours and surrounded by fields. So what else to do but make things and wait.
We are banned from going to markets, foires and seeing our customers face to face but we can still create. Frankly I am going slowly bonkers; markets are my lifeblood and my social life, apologies to my friends and family.
In the meantime Howard , Mr can’t stop moving, is keeping busy by making statues. This is all fine but if he doesn’t slow down he will run out of materials and I will be pushed out of the door by waves of statues. Am I allowed to tie him up in a corner and wait for it to all be over?
I am taking the time to catch up with the accounts and other important admin.. ..No I’m not, I am writing a blog in order to talk to someone other than the cats and Howard. Obligatory picture here of Horrace being cute in a cherry tree.
Lock down reality now means that I have spent every morning of these last 10 days polishing the big statues : Panthers, Elegance busts and soon Howard has promised that We, yes I did hear him say We, will be doing the Grace’s. Such fun times we have.
These bigger statues are intended for the spring trip to deliver to the Uk customers. We are really hoping that will happen as frankly it’s still a guessing game as to whether we will be able to book the trip.
In the meantime I am keeping busy. I have plans to sculpt a new large snail for an independent client who we design bespoke pieces for. It’s partly done but needs their approval. I must get on with the plan to design a new small duck for the "petit" range the current duck isn’t cute enough.
I have the clay, I have the tools and I even have my glasses somewhere don’t I? Even in lock-down, with what could be considered all the time in the world to get on with work, I can’t quite fit everything into the 7 days that are given out per week. Does anyone have spare day they don’t need?
If you don’t hear from me in another week send tea and boxes to pack statues into for me. Send marble and glue for Howard.
