It's time to put up course dates for next year folks., Thanks for all the patience with all the rescheduling of the covid postponements. And due to the demand we are taking booking now for the first half of 2022. Spaces always go quickly as the word of mouth job that our past attendees do is so effective !!!! Some firm favourites such as stool and chair making but some new ones being introduced. Remember we always do a voucher schemes to give to friends or colleagues. 

Haven't posted anything up for a while as we have been busy catching up on all the course work postponed form last year. Thankfully we have managed to just about reschedule all 300 plus places. So thanks to everyone for their cooperation and commitment to helping us make it all happen. Here's a few images of all those happy folks . Some new dates dates for 2022 have been put up here

We hope you, family and colleagues are all well. To those of you that have also lost close ones - my condolences. To those of you that have caught this virus and survived - thank goodness you're strong. For those of you that haven't seen your family and pals - it'll hopefully not be too long now. For those of you that have lost your businesses and jobs or missed out on further education we really sympathise - stay positive ! 
Well here we go again.  It's looking like end of April being the first of our courses. We feel as though we're stuck in a loop now, but will give this another shot at trying to reorganise all your course dates. We are missing the contact and want to give you such a good day or weekend with us. It took some amount of juggling last year to get this done so here goes. 
We've notified all those 200 + folks we had to postpone from first and second lockdowns - there are however a few gaps and spaces still available for 2021. Have a look at the dates available here and get yourself booked up. We have accommodation providers, pubs, restaurants shops and others waiting to see you as well. Help us all get kick started and have a great time with us doing it !!

We're getting back into it slowly- having rearranged a lot of course dates for this back end of the year we've had the inevitable batch cancellations with new tier systems being introduced. However better safe than sorry. HAd a hardy bunch of folks out this autumn with the wettest spell of weather as well. All producing amazing work. Well done everyone. New course dates for 2021 are up on the website.

Over the course of the past few months I have been thinking more about how we fit as a species in the ancient landscape and how the wooded landscape in particular has been the home for a prehistoric people that lived there. In the absence of any great cave painting sites in Northern Britain and very few primitive art objects and carvings being found in the archaeological record, I have made some of my own. I am absolutely convinced that 3,000 plus years ago we would have had a rich gallery of open air and portable artworks created. This new Northlands work is an extension of my earlier Kilmartin Series. Still influenced by the cup and ring marks of Argyll, Tayside and Northumberland, still inspired by the artworks of neolithic burial chambers in Ireland and always aware of the amazing pictograms of Scandinavia and Northern Spain - this is my response. 

A Big Tree respect for the folks attending today’s workshop helping us get the post lockdown etiquette and guidelines in place. Couldn’t be more grateful for you guys waiting patiently for the rescheduling slots. Thanks !! Big Tree it up for six fantastic makers Kate, Eli, Sam, Giordana, Anthony and Martine you were great company.

What a difference a year makes ! We’re pleased to have restarted the courses again. Thanks to great participants in the past two weeks we’ve made things safely. So here’s just a few smiling faces from last year. Let’s hope we can keep the good times going.
We’re slowly getting folks who have been put on hold this summer rebooked onto new dates. It’ll take a while to clear the 200 bookings but we’ll do it.
Keep safe everyone - and oh yes thanks for all the supportive messages and empathy - means so much to us during these strange times.

http://www.thebigtreesociety.co.uk/whats-happening/summer-time-is-coming

I once read in an old account by Sir Archibald Geikie in his great tome “The Scenery of Scotland” 1901 that the Scots were a “product of their landscape”. In some respects it’s true - the crag, the hill, the shore, the glen, the merse, the machair, the big sky and the endless sea. These elements may well mould and form behaviour and character.
I’ve always felt connected to my land, my coast and my past. These artworks are my response to things ancient, to connections and signs from long ago before.