14 Jul 17'
"I have been to a number of sessions in Maggie's studio and also to all three Braemar Creative Arts Festival Mosaic courses which she attends in support of this community based arts venue.
What a gem Maggie is - kind, patient, technically spot on, creatively inspiring of others, exuberant in nature, genuinely caring about her students welfare, and completely in awe of our efforts & the results no matter how odd some of mine have turned out to be :D
You may enter a complete novice not knowing one end of a tweezer from the end of a glass cutter, or a Leponitt from a Smalti. When you leave with your first pieces completed you will also take along the self-confidence with a range of manual skills & 'tool familiarity' to tackle anything she throws at you at your next session, and you will truly believe in your own abilities.
A BIG part of Maggie's ethos is to use discarded bits and pieces from local charity shops, friends cast-off & broken household 'junque', and her very own "Rubbish Fairy" who is part of the grass-roots recycling movement.
OldTown Steading's garden is a showcase of mosaic-ed artworks created from literal rubbish and it is incredibly inspiring to view regardless of the season. It is 2 acres and utterly delightful Madness, Mayhem and Magic. Green Recycling box WELL ticked and who would have thought such beauty rise from the ashes of rubbish ???
She has taught me so much technically about mosaic-ing, and even given me the self confidence set up a small studio space of my own in a spare sheddy, but part of the fun and experience is in being with other like-minded people under Maggie's caring and attentive eye. And she puts on a lovely lunch for us too :) Who could ask for more???"