DAM THOSE BEAVERS

At first glance one could be forgiven in thinking what has this Blog got to do with anything related to glass or Glass Creations. Isn’t that what this blogging is all about? It must relate to an original idea and that idea is me being a glass artist trying to promote myself through my own business, Glass Creations. Well, I make glass beavers for Beaver Scouts and have been making them for years. I also make figures of Cub Scouts and have made a few Baden Powell figures. Also, I have made quite a few “Gilwell” logos which essentially are logs with axes embodied into. These were commissioned by a Group Scout Leader and Trainer who awarded those who passed exams with a glass “Gillwell” emblem.

I confess to be a Beaver Scout Leader and have been for nearly forty years. Combining my love of glass and Scouting I started making glass woggles but soon gave this up as realised that when a Cub, Beaver or Scout fell over as they tend to do then the glass woggle was in danger of breaking and small shards of glass my find their way in the neck of a Beaver, Cub, or Scout! Not good for publicity and recruiting more Scouts. Some may see this as fun but not me.

For the last few years, I have presented a Beaver a glass beaver to commemorate the fact that a Beaver is leaving to go to Cub Scouts. This is usually done when a Beaver reaches eight years old, and some may say that this is too young for someone to handle glass. This could be trueing especially when a Beaver will get a certificate, a collection of badges plus a glass Beaver to handle all in the space of a minute after the “swimming up” ceremony.

I am very experienced in making glass logos and the Scout Association presented me with no real challenges. For years I was happy making glass versions of the Fleur de Lys. Then of course graphic designers muscled into the picture to exert their influence in a two-dimensional short-sighted manner and created a boring shallow doodle passing off as a poor excuse for a thoughtful log with an expression of empathy to others. I haven’t event tried to recreate this pathetic looking apology for a log in glass. Its just not possible to do justice to the Movement by even wasting time to consider how best to start.

Being a Beaver Scout Leader and a glass artist are a useful combination of skills. In theory they should be transferable skills, but I am not sure what I can bring to my glass and flames from a typical Beaver meeting. I suppose patience and imagination could be contenders.

Recently I had to think quick at a Beaver sleepover where two Beavers have their hair entwined to the extent that both Beavers were screaming in agony. I shouted to another leader to bring me scissors and cut the hair apart. One Beaver blamed me for damaging their appearances and refused to speak to me. They were so upset they drew a picture of me with the caption (I hate Bison”. Bison is my Beaver name. I tried to calm the situation by promising that one of the Beavers could cut my haor the following ,morning. I had nightmares on waking up to becoming bald from hundreds of Beavers screaming down on me with scissors. Its this imagination that I can use to a positive outcome in my glass art.

I have entertained Beavers in my studio and given them a glassblowing demonstration. I always try to offer Beavers experience of actually glassblowing themselves and most take up the chance. They all heat up a tube then blow a bulb, adding eyes nose and moth to create a weird and wonderful head. When asked who their creation looked like one Beaver replied “Bison”!

Beaver Scouts are children aged between six and eight. I find them at that age most receptive to new ideas and free from any conventions and traditions. There are at their best free to express themselves in any way they want. No rules applied. I often do collages with the Beavers, and we glue empty glue sticks to the paper as well as dried up pens. No one sees the true picture straight on but by moving sideways and laying one’s head on the paper and looking sideways then a form appears which is like a landscape of pens and glue sticks. Its more than looking outside the box its looking beyond the box. Its useful to use this approach in my glass art.