Introducing Edgar

Halloween Pumpkin  for effect!

Have you ever met a person before that shares so many interests and things in common that it’s actually a bit spooky? Well, I have such a friend – in fact I work with her. My friend Kathy understands the love of a button tin, the excitement of a bizarre collection, the thrill of a weird thing found at a charity shop... We are like two peas from a very strange pod!

Kathy and I went to London some months ago to take part in a taxidermy class – you may recall a post on this adventure. We came away with rats which we were most proud of. Now, taxidermy is not something I have mentioned much on my blog as I know it’s a subject which divides people. But I do appreciate the art and have a fair collection ranging from rather good to frankly Frankensteinesque. (As in his monster).

We had talked about taking part in another class when we discovered a very talented taxidermist lives not very far from Kathy’s house – how convenient. This lovely lady, Kate Latimer, now runs classes and so this is how, last Sunday, Kathy and I found ourselves stuffing birds!

Edgar - I still have to finish off the display/stand.

The first thing we learnt was that our previous foray into the art was not proper taxidermy – we were about to discover how to start by making detailed drawings and measurements, how to make proper body forms from wood wool, how to wire and position, how to..... well, I won’t go into details!

The specimens are all ethically sourced and Kate has a huge respect for all the creatures that she transforms. She is also a patient and gifted tutor who guides you through the whole process. Even when you are confronted with wires and wood wool, wings and legs which you cannot possibly imagine will turn back into anything vaguely bird shaped, she is there to twist and coax, helping to create a piece of art.

I was thrilled with my crow – even after I had done something strange to his wing which meant it would not sit flat, Kate managed to help me sort it out. So, in honour of the season, here is Edgar Allan Crow in all his glory!

Spooky Edgar!

I’m off on holiday now – I promise the next post will be ‘stuffed’ full of new adventures! (see what I did there?)