The Haining visit

The other day we went to The Haining in Selkirk for a day out at college. There was a 3 day exhibition on with a variety of designers and artists sharing their skills with students and other designers.  We went on the second day where we learned about glass cutting and shaping.  At first I wasn't sure if I would be interested in glass cutting, but after experimenting with a few techniques,  I really enjoyed it and felt inspired to do more.
I then had a walk around the grounds including the lake to take some photos.  I am also working on a photography unit so this was a great opportunity to see what I could find in the way of reflections and composition within the woodland.  I feel that I achieved quite alot as it was a beautiful day, the sun was a great advantage in finding reflections.
After that, I took a mirror and placed it in different areas around the building,  I wanted to see if I could use the reflections to make an interesting image.  This worked well but I would have been better taking more time with this idea to improve on the end result. I also used coloured glass as a filter and took a photo of a tree next to the lake,  this produced interesting results,  giving insight into changing time of day or mood of an image.
For the final task,  we were asked to create something within the surroundings using mirrors and glass to see what reflections we could make- this was fun. As a group we cut pieces of glass and mirror using the techniques we had learned earlier.  We used a variety of colours and shapes then attached them to a pole with string. The idea was to let the light of the sun reflect of the glass and produce coloured patterns on the ground.  Unfortunately it was almost 3pm and the sun was starting to disappear so we were not able to produce great results.
Overall I really enjoyed the whole experience.  The glass cutting was fun and exciting,  I feel that I have learned something new and would definitely be keen to try it again. I am also pleased with the photos I took.
I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has an interest in art and design work.