Southport Contemporary Arts Artist of the Month - Margaret Maule

DESPITE receiving no formal art qualifications while growing up in the wilds of rural Northumberland, where mains electricity stopped at her remote hill farm, Margaret Maul was naturally resourceful with her hands and eagerly pursued her ability to fill any free time with personal creative ventures:- "There was always the attitude of having to mend, fix, reuse and be inventive. A self resilience and problem solving that probably came with the degree of isolation. I helped my Father make his own shepherds sticks from green hazel and my Mother always had numerous sewing projects on the go."

Having already explored different disciplines, it was only later in life that Margaret was able to focus on the medium for which she is now best known:- "I have only found the time to develop my interest since I finished work, and balance it with my Charity work and in the last few years the unexpected pleasure of being a Grandparent. I discovered my love of working with glass after I had turned 50 and was instantly fascinated with all the possibilities ahead:- the variations in colour, texture, opacity and choosing the most appropriate glass for each new project."

Her current modus operandi, when toiling with glass, has resulted in a happy outcome that ensures nothing ever goes to waste:- "Mainly, I do Tiffany style copper foil work using lots of bright colour combinations, but I have now started to do some leaded pieces as well. The 1 thing guaranteed is that you will end up with numerous small offcuts of glass and that is where my mosaic work started."

As a keen traveller, Margaret is able to gather motivation for her glasswork from all over the world:- "I love to travel and seek direct inspiration for my work. The endless possibilities of tessellated patterns, examples of which can be found across the globe, are inspirational. My small Tiffany style hanging panel on show at the ArtHouse, was inspired by the muted colours of Greenland."

As well as this attraction to its inherent decorative nature, Margaret is always mindful of the practicalities of working in glass:- "My challenge is ensuring projects are:- 'engineered' so that they are solid and, if required, usable."

This attention to detail, accuracy and patience, along with Margaret's good hand eye coordination, maintains the dexterity previously laid down by earlier generations of glass artisans across the centuries.

Margate said:- "Moving to and living in Southport there are so many Victorian and Edwardian properties that demonstrate the beauty and skill of the craftsmanship of leaded glass. Because it is such an ancient material, many past glass artists are no longer acknowledged, but their work has stood the test of time. Recently I visited Ashley Hall in Cheshire, built in the 1660's. The panes of glass in the Long Gallery have craftsmen's initials etched on to some. This is so intriguing and the longevity of their work is I'm sure, more than they would have ever dreamt of. In the 20th Century artists known more for their paintings have also transferred their work to glass including Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall and more recently, David Hockney, who designed the Queen Elizabeth II window for Westminster Abbey. Personally, I am emotionally moved by the large-scale sculptural blown glass of American artist, Dale Chiluly. To see his work, often outdoors in gardens, is inspirational."

The living canvas of Nature equally provides the perfect:- 'shop window' for Margaret's own glass art:- "I am motivated by the variations created by the changes that light gives to pieces during not just the day, but throughout the seasons as well. I always like to display finished pieces out in the garden, particularly during the winter."

From design through cutting, leading, soldering and cementing, each of Margate's assemblies is unique and a genuine handmade piece of art.

Margaret Maul's evocative glassware will be on display at the:- ArtHouse, Eastbank Street, from:- 25 November to 23 December 2023.

NHS England launches annual School careers contest

SCHOOLS across England are being invited to join an exciting curriculum linked contest which raises career aspirations and teaches pupils about the National Health Service.

Developed in partnership with teachers, the annual Step into the NHS competition encourages Secondary School students to research and create a job advert for an NHS profession while learning about more than 350 careers in the health service.

Winning pupils will be presented with Amazon gift vouchers and have the chance to see their work displayed in the local community.

Participating Schools are provided with a wealth of free learning resources and lesson plans. Previous entrants have emphasised what a fulfilling learning experience the contest is, with 90% of teachers saying Step into the NHS has helped their students understand the range of career opportunities in the NHS.

The resources are aligned to the KS3 curriculum, helping teachers meet several of the Department for Education's careers strategy aims and the Gatsby benchmarks for Good Career Guidance.

This year's national winner, 14 year old Tanvir Tamber, impressed the judges with a poster and video exploring the role of an A&E Doctor.

Now the pupil at Derby Moor Spencer Academy, Derby, has been rewarded by seeing her winning entry tour her home Town, including:- Schools and Shopping Centres, on the side of an environmentally friendly advertising van.

She said she had enjoyed researching a career for which she had a:- 'genuine passion.'  She added:- "The highlight was discovering the amount of insight needed and the range of conditions you have to be able to deal with, enabling you to discover your eventual specialism"

Tanvir's teacher Carol Eziz said:- "Our other students asked lots of questions and are really proud that 1 of their own has created something so wonderful. The competition gave us a great opportunity to promote thinking seriously about careers in the NHS and see that if you put in hard work and effort, amazing things can happen."

Hundreds of Schools take part in the Step into the NHS competition every year. This year's resources are newly-refreshed and include a:- 'ready to go' lesson plan which can be delivered in just an hour.

Teachers can find full details online at:- StepIntoTheNHS.NHS.UK.