My new role as artist apprentice

Erwin at work

I have started a wood carving apprenticeship with Erwin Schatzmann, a well known artist in Winterthur. I first visited his Morgenland studio in Hegi, on the edge of the city, as part of the Open Doors weekend back in September. I was spellbound by this place, which is where Erwin eats, sleeps and makes his art. He derives his income from his art, and is content to live modestly but his studio is a hive of colour, filled with his strange, flamboyant art. I loved it so much and it inspired me to write to him.

I have always harboured a dream to learn how to carve wood, so in my pretty basic German, I wrote to him, asking if he would make me his apprentice, thinking it was a long shot but there was no harm in giving it a go. And, lo and behold, a few days later he rang me and invited me along for a chat.

I am now working in his studio two mornings per week. I have already completed my very first ‘wood spirit’ and am very proud of it. There is something intrinsically satisfying in creating something, chipping away at it day after day until something emerges. I cannot quite believe I have somehow fashioned a face from a tree trunk (I now spend hours at a time walking through my local woods with my girls seeking out new bits of wood left behind by the loggers) It’s a new, exciting part of my life and I feel honoured to be experiencing something so unlike the rest of my normal routine.

I can't wait to see what I will create next. Watch this space…J