Arran Open Studios

The wheel of the year plays an important part in my life and celebrating the year through seasonal change helps me connect with the world in an emotional and spiritual way. The pieces of contemporary work I make are very much connected to nature, ritual and the landscape. My love of natural history has meant that over the years I have always collected skulls, bones and horns that I come across, to me they are real treasures and I feel blessed to be the custodian of these magical objects. Incorporating them in to my work has come very naturally.
Arran is a treasure trove for these kind of objects so every adventure normally produces a find.
#wheatweaverofauchencairn
#straw #heritagecraft #wheat #wheeloftheyear #corndolly
#isleofarran #endangeredcraft

Julia Bovee
Wheat Weaver of Auchencairn
STUDIO NUMBER 18
10am-4pm
15th-18th August 2025 ...

Straw work can be dated back almost 5000 years to the Egyptians. The oldest evidence of wheat cultivation can be seen in drawings on the tombs depicting bundles of wheat and a harvest table. Imprints of wheat heads n pottery samples have also been discovered.
Many myths and legends surround straw work. Most people in the UK would recognise them as symbols of harvest.  For early farmers there was a need for the spirit of the wheat to be captured in the last sheath of harvest, this would then be returned back into the field to release the spirit for the next growing season. After the Middle Ages the improvement and understanding of farming techniques and crop success meant there was not such a need to capture the spirit and pieces became more ornamental and competitive. As wheat weaving’ cultural purpose decreased it became more an example of country craft and rural culture. Most of the “traditional” designs we see today are probably 200-400 years old and the steps we take in creating the pieces are the same as those taken by wheat weavers several hundred years ago.
I produce a variety of traditional pieces as I feel it’s important that that side of the craft is kept alive. Straw weaving is an endangered craft so I do feel I have a certain responsibility to help keep the art alive.

Julia Bovee
Wheat weaver of Auchencairn
STUDIO NUMBER 18
10am-4pm
15th-18th August 2025 ...

The main material I use in my work is wheat/straw. Modern varieties of wheat are now mainly grown for their heads, so weavers like me generally use heritage varieties as you want a stem that is as long as possible to the first leaf node where the stem is cut off. I purchase my straw from a heritage grower down in Shropshire. It is cut slightly earlier than normal so that the kernels in the heads stay in place. Once the sheaths are in my workshop they will be sorted, trimmed, graded and soaked before they are ready to work with. Thick and thin straws can behave quite differently so understanding their qualities is important.
I love weaving and plaiting in the landscape using the plants I find around me. I will always leave these pieces where I weave them so you never know you might see a little offering on your travels around Arran. Working within the landscape gives a great feeling of connection, it makes you see the environment in a different way.

STUDIO NUMBER 18
10am-4pm
15th-18th August 2025 ...

I am Julia Bovee this weeks editor for Arran Open Studios. I am a wheat/straw weaver creating traditional and contemporary work inspired by nature, tradition and history.

I was born in Australia and grew up and lived in Sussex until early 2020 when I moved to Arran. I have always been a maker and in my mid 30s studied Applied Arts (Craft) at Brighton University. I worked mainly with cast glass, metal and ceramics producing pieces that were heavily orientated towards ceremony, rebirth, fertility and nature. These were disciplines that required quite a lot of kit and materials and as “life” got in the way they became less accessible to me. In the intervening years my love of music and costume led me to designing and making costumes for opera and performance and my love of tradition got me involved in creating and making for seasonal celebrations and events.

One of those events was Carshalton Straw Jack, a September celebration of harvest where a large straw figure is paraded around the streets and burnt at the end of the day. It had always inspired me to try making corn dollies, I never did make them for that but the seed had been planted. Upon moving to Arran and with lockdown, due to Covid, still not allowing gatherings we dressed up on May Day, as we have for decades, and went out and surprised the people of Arran. The Druids of Arran spotted us and invited us to join their open ceremonies. I was determined that for Lammas I wanted to make something to give to the other participants so I ordered some straw and away I went. I totally fell in love with the art of straw weaving and became obsessed immediately. I love the immediacy of the material, the simple quality of it and the low environmental impact of it. The connection with tradition and seasonal celebration is there throughout history and as somebody who has celebrated the changing of the seasons in quite a traditional way for many decades I really feel that it’s the perfect fit. ...

My last post as part of the Arran Open Studios, My partner Maurice Geraghty has built me a small hut to display my work in and their will be more sculptures outside. You can also take a walk to the powerhouse at Easmor in Kildonan and see more of my carvings if you follow the path to along the river, I also have one displayed outside the cafe. I hope to see some of you on a visit to my studio or you can contact me through my website www.zabdikeen.com ...

I was on a train when I got a commission for a chainsaw carving of an owl. The lady used to have a pet owl called Sotia. I delivered it to Ardrossan. I carried it on my back sticking out of a big ruckasck, I was surprised how few people noticed. Though a Calmac lad said well thats a first!

Each year I do a sand sculpture display at Saltcoats sand castle competition. Last year they delivered me three massive piles sand 60 tonnes! (I only had 3 hours! - so I said I will take just one pile the kids can have the rest. I told them it needs to be wet sand. Luckily they got the fire brigade so I got to hose down and sculpt a bit of the carving using the high pressure water.

I have been doing a lot of willow weaving and planting with kids amd community gardens ( I work 15 hrs a week as am Arran pioneer ranger - encouraging people to grow food together ) I hope to do some sculpture with willow. I love the different colours. ...

I handcarve custom walking stick heads - sometimes whilst sitting on the beach whilst my dog plays on the sand. I can either work from photos or The carving shown is of Mac a Kelpie and his eyes look like that when he is looking at a stick!

I was up at the viewpoint at the top of the Lamlash Brodick hill I had a commission to hand carve a sign from Arran Larch for Roots of Arran Community Woodland. I mentioned to a local walker what I was planning - the fist thing he said was "Is it in the Gaelic?" No it wasn`t! So I carved in the Gaelic lettering on the upright post.

I carved the Auchrannie House Hotel wooden beam at the entrance to the Auchrannie Hotel. When it was delivered it was a massive piece of wood wrapped in cardboard lying at the workshop door. Scary and exciting! I had a tiny knife to carve it with, with the money I got I bought a set of lettering chisels but I still love my little Mora knife.

The NTS hexagonal Logo is in the floor at the centre of the new summerhouse in Brodick - My friend Chas Heath built the summer house and thats his logo on the bottom. ...

Yesterday I was stone carving a round beach pebble with a celtic knot on one side and initials on the other - it will be used in a wedding ceremony. It was a beautiful day to carve outside.

I started stonecarving during Covid lockdown, I was taking photos of Lois Anderson while she carved names on some stones for the Arran Arts Heritage Trail I watched her each day. I said why don`t you carve the logo - she said she only carves lettering and why dont you carve the Logo. She gave me some instructions and a chisel and I went home with a stone that had half split.

My partner Maurice Geraghty works with stone masonory and building and has a big stone saw that he cut the stone with to prepare it. I carved the logo on the two halves, one as a v-cut and one as a relief carving.

At first I thought I don`t like lettering its boring then I did some lettering and thought "Oh I like lettering its good fun!" I bought a load of Corrie red sandstone from John Thomsons yard and have some commissions I am working on.

www.zabdikeen.com ...

My Sistine chapel in Kildonan. During Lockdown I had a commission to paint a mural on the walls of the Easmor power house. The storyline was by Albert from Easmor Ecology you can ask at the cafe for a key and sometimes its possible to see it.

I had only ever done watercolours. I learnt to airbrush and after a lot of practise walked along the shore and into the woods and down to the grass roofed hut each day to paint. One day the paint was not working properly it had frozen! There were icicles hanging like stalictites on the cliffs above the river. It was a hard working envirnoment with the sound of the hydro booming and stepping over all the machinery.

The mural depects workers and partners as dwarves and fairy creatures at The hydro plant using a waterwheel to turn water into gold which is given to the fairies. Who turn it into childrens hopes and dreams. A toad and 2 rats try to escape with the gold but are stopped by the Wizard Albert and his fairy helpers. The tortoise shows the wisdom of the ancient woods with the solstice fire. The wild cat is based on my cat Chitra who was chased by Barry the dog. The dog is up the tree as in real life he chased a squirrel 15 foot up a tree and got stuck. Ross is cleaning the intake to the water pipe at the top of the waterfall which is depicted by the girls face.

https://youtu.be/zD7octl929Q?si=dG4azTRiWbmQcGJH

I also airbrushed the Swordfish Bi-plane in the P.H.T ontop of someone elses mural of Holy Isle. I using their colours to reflect on the plane. Inspired by the sea trialls of a floating runway in Lamlash bay.

I also do commissions of murals and portraits of people and animals.

www.zabdikeen.com ...