Juliette Orton

I get quite a few queries about my studio set up so I thought I'd give you a little guided tour around it (which sounds a bit grand as it's only an average sized room!). It used to be our dining room and I was notorious for leaving all sorts out on the table which had to be cleared away every mealtime which was very frustrating for my family. Fortunately we had an extension added to our kitchen which has meant that I am now lucky enough to have a designated room.                                        First up are my shelves which on one side of the room have some of my precious book collection. Sometimes I lend them to students and get really nervous that they'll lose them but I can't bear not to share my resources if I think they are relevant (that's the teacher in me!). I try and keep my shelves relatively tidy so that I can display my pieces on them and see how they work together, this is especially handy for my mini wire sculptures. 

Last weekend we decided to take a family trip to Mudeford to get the teenagers out of the house and some fresh air into our lungs. It was a good opportunity to have a break from revision and spend some time together and also a chance for the hound to do his most favourite thing (apart from eating) - swim in the sea. It was unbelievably windy and even the seagulls had to adjust their flight paths as they came in to land. While we were waiting for the ferry I had a good nose at all the piles of fishing paraphenalia including some rusting anchor hooks and lobster/crab baskets. I do love doing rusting experiments with my Textiles students and the anchors have reminded me that I need to do some more. Once we had thoroughly exhausted the hound we went and ate some chips in a lovely cafe near a pier and watched some life guards battling to keep their warning flags from falling over in the sand, not easy in that wind. There is something very invigoratin