In 2006 Julie Gurr, another local willow weaver, worked on a project at the Saltings a conservation area on the banks of the Clyde. The commission was to build two large swan sculptures with 5m wing spans that would glide above the footpath. They were impressive and became quite popular with local visitors to the site. However their exposure to the elements over the years has caused them to deteriorate and even with regular maintenance they are now in a sorry state.
An email went out last year for bids to rebuild the swans and I along with several others responded. I did not really think about it as I thought it was a formality and Julie would be the obvious choice. This was not the case and the task has fallen to me. I spoke to Julie, as it was all a bit embarassing, but she felt she had gone as far as she wanted to with the swans and was happy for someone else to take them on.
So this week I start work on the said birds.
