Swift Children Overcoming Barriers to Learning

Tim uses simplified representations of the birds swifts in this artworks to symbolise children playing. He makes comparisons in his artworks to children's development, though studies made on paper of these swifts representing their playful and acrobatic flight with abstract colour combinations. This painting conveys an optimistic message to overcome barriers in learning and in life.

From the left: Oil painting on canvas of Swifts. Representations of Swifts made into glass. Digital Drawings. Designs for cast glass sculptures. Wax forms, a visualisation of the oil painting made into three dimensions. 

Image above: the graphite mould now filled with shards of coloured glass ready for the kiln. 
Whilst the kiln was melting the glass into forms to represent Swifts. I drew the above wax work on heated Fabriano Paper. The joy of using wax crayons on heated paper is that they become fluid. Spontaneous creativity whilst waiting for the kiln cycle to end.
A composition of stone, stained chestnut timber and cast crystal glass. The artist, Tim Morris makes representations of swifts as symbols that express child development. Tim cast glass swifts together with his youngest son. He moulded these onto wood. Colourful Crystal Glass is cast into representations of swifts that have been fixed to a power carved piece of Chestnut timber. Tim uses his own pigmented oils to seal and protect the wood and harmonise its polished qualities with the glass swifts. The chestnut timber has been power carved by the artist, Tim Jago Morris, sanded and polished with pigmented oils to harmonise its surface of the light of with his cast crystal glass swifts. To elevate the sculpture Tim selected stone from Swaledale. The Swaledale stone selected for the base of this sculpture was picked from the very place in the North Yorkshire moorlands where Tim first witnessing the swifts playfully darting over the landscape in front of him. The artist carved into the stone.. The artist carved into the Swaledale stone a recess that could hold the refined Chestnut Timber and Cast Crystal Glass Swifts. The polished timber rests within a carved seat that is 10mm deep in the stone and secured with a 12mm iron bar epoxy anchor. Tim selected the Swaledale stone specifically for the mutual qualities of the stone with his power carved Chestnut Timber and Coloured Cast Crystal Glasses. Tim believes the materials of stone, glass and timber mutually compliment each other. The protected chestnut timber and cast crystal glass swifts are permanently fixed into the Swaledale stone. The sculpture rests upon a golden-woven pillow filled with powdered glass that protects where the sculpture resides over time from scratches. The Swaledale Swift, together with is crafted pens and paintings was awarded the W.E Jones trophy for 'Best in show for Outstanding Handy Crafts' in August 2024 by the Reeth and District Agricultural Society. Tim is proud to present the trophy here.
Here they are - representations of swifts made into glass. Larger approx. 15 cm wing to wing. Here mounted on The Swaledale Swifts Sculpture of carved and stained Chestnut wood, on Swaledale Stone and a powered glass pillow. For Dimensions and more please click the button below.
Halfway Home Atelier
I decided to make a logo from the representations of the birds Swifts that I had been making. Perhaps further experimentation with a laser cutter could be fun>

Laser Cut Wood Block Print Making. 1/13 Emerald Swifts.
The sheet above is the kiln cycle I had developed from successful firings of the individual representation of Swifts cast into glass. My ambition was to visualise my original oil painting in three dimensions so I challenged myself to design Swift Vases. I had been researching the exquisite works René Jules Lalique which must have permeated into thinking. Yet, I wanted to be unique in my representation of the birds the Swifts. My experience would prove to move my design for Swift Vases into something completely new and previously unchartered for me. I began to make renewable energy light sculptures. 
The Emerald Swift Renewable Energy Light Sculptures. I set up a wet polishing unit in my studio and began carving into the ruff cast glass form to achieve highly polished areas of glass and leaving other areas of relief texture left behind by the casting mould. It seemed like a good way to celebrate the casting process by gilding these relief surfaces with Gilding Gold Wax. 

The 8kg of glass sits on top of hand carved and burnt willow timber. I sealed the timber with oil paint and bees wax, gilding it in places with left over gilding gold wax. There is no glue needed to secure the two materials together because the wood has been perfectly carved to accept the glass. It is only the gravitational force of the glass and the acceptance of the wood which makes for a tight and secure fitting. 
Emerald Swifts Renewable Energy Sculpture. Hand Carved Willow, Wet polished emerald, citrine and colbalt casting glass gilded with Treasure Gold Gilding Wax. Solar Powered LED. 
Back to the wax heater to draw Swifts with melted wax crayons on A4 Fabriano paper to think about what I was pleased about with the Emerald Swifts and where I wanted to take my work next. 
Pen and paper design for the next renewable energy light sculpture - Indigo Swifts. They are as fully green as I can make them, renewable energy sculptures, because they are made with my electric power tools and kiln which is fully wind powered. Also the timber is sourced from wind felled trees and cut with my electric cordless chainsaw. Even the fact the timber isn't being burnt as fire wood is a save on the release of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere if it had have been burnt as fire wood. 
The Finished Renewable Energy Sculptures. The two pieces were made in County Durham UK. SAVING THE PLANET BY MAKING ART.
The Finished Renewable Energy Sculptures glowing at night. The two pieces were made in County Durham UK. SAVING THE PLANET BY MAKING ART.
My second piece, Indigo Swifts Renewable Energy Sculpture was acquired into a collection at the Hejian City Glass Museum in China. Good for me! Bad for the Environment as I had to ship it over there, thus cancelling out some of the net zero carbon production effort that went into its creation. The next pieces should be acquired much closer to home.  
Below: a new series of laser wood block prints whilst I think what the next renewable energy sculptures should be. 
Summers Evening Swifts. A4 size Laser cut woodblock print. Feb 2022
Midnight Swifts. A4 size Laser cut woodblock print. Feb 2022
Scarlet Swifts. A4 size Laser cut woodblock print. Feb 2022

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