QEST Scholarship - Working with Rod Kelly

As part of my QEST Scholarship in 2022 I went back up to Shetland to work with Rod Kelly again, after a brilliant week there in 2014 (on a Goldsmiths Company Master Craftsman Internship). I learned more about Rod’s method for sinking large dishes using a jig for support, developed my Chasing skills, especially of rock textures (inspired by the dramatic Geo’s of Shetland), and worked a lot on planning and organising jobs, as well as learning new methods of combining engraving with a PUK welder to aid setting up large and complex soldering jobs. On top of all that, nearly three weeks in Shetland at midsummer was an unforgettable experience, with the lights nights of the ‘Simmer Dim’, thousands of blooming wild orchids, and Curlews constantly calling.

Click here for Instagram post hammering large dishes in Rod’s jig