Meet a metal dragon in Dumfries & Galloway this summer
In its first 21 years, Spring Fling attracted over 174,000 visitors who made around 546,000 studio visits. Over £10.2 million of art and craft was bought in studios and the event brought over £17.5 million to the local economy.
This year's event will take place from May 24 to 26 and of the participants is young blacksmith Nate Robinson, who will be opening the doors of his forge.
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The 29-year-old works metal into designs of various shapes and sizes, at the small end are miniature Highland cows and cottages and at the other extreme are special commissions like the fantastic female dragon, which weighs in at 700 kgs, and is covered in over 1,000 individually hand-forged scales.
One of the other characters visitors might meet is Ailsa, a black and white cat which is the model for the three-metre metal feline which is reaching high into a tree in the garden.
Mr Robinson said: "Spring Fling should be lots of fun this year – I love creating things at a grand scale and will have plenty to look at with the dragon, dinosaurs, sheep and the cat.
A ferocious dragon and a huge three metres tall cat – just two of young blacksmith Nate Robinson's mighty metal creations that visitors to his forge will be able to admire during Spring Fling open studios weekend in Dumfries & Galloway (Image: Colin Hattersley Photography) 'A lot of my work is specially commissioned, making just about anything people can imagine.
'A couple saw my work on social media and called me to ask if I could make them a dragon. It's been a brilliant challenge.
'They came round to see it a little while ago, decided it's a 'she' – I'm hoping she will look pretty impressive in their garden.
'And I really enjoy giving demonstrations of how I work in the forge.
'But the cat was a bit different – Ailsa loves climbing trees but isn't very good at getting down and often has to be rescued. So, I created a cat the size of a car, with a special tunnel inside which she can easily run up and down – she loves it.'
Natasha Kinsella, Events and Exhibitions Development Manager for Upland CIC which runs Spring Fling, said: "Nate's work is a great example of the variety and the talent of artists and makers you can see in Spring Fling.
'On the Green Route alone you can discover everything from ceramics, tapestry and costume to painting and jewellery. And that's just the start, with five other routes to choose from, all packed with fascinating people, craft and contemporary art.'
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