Field Notes : Studio Skai
Meet Joe of Studio Skai, a miniature craft artist working mainly in paper. His mesmerising folded, softly geometric landscapes capture his memories of the landscape he knew so well from growing up roaming the rocky outcrops and boggy hills that surround the village of Hathersage in the Peak District. From tiny snippets of memories within landscapes encapsulated in bell-jars, to perceptively photographed scenes of gritstone edges, rolling geo-paper hills and iconic bridges crafted in card, Joe’d creations hold a wonderful sense of nostalgia that I find (and I’m sure you will do too, especially if you’re at all familiar with the locations) extremely spellbinding.
After leaving the countryside for a stint, he returned to look after his mental wellbeing and became fascinated with how nature helped him recover. In Joe’s words, he ‘saw the landscape differently and Studio Skai’s roots began to spread’. Currently based a stones throw from the Peak in Sheffield, Joe is refocusing his work and beginning to explore the intriguing realm of Peak District folk tales and lore.
Make sure to head on over to his Instagram (Studio Skai) to follow along as he uncovers and re-creates these fascinating tales!
Q - IF YOU WERE TO COMMISSION A BESPOKE CONTOUR MAP PIECE, WHAT LANDSCAPE WOULD IT FEATURE?
A - Stanage Edge. There are several spots in the Peak District that I could have chosen, but the contours of Stanage Edge and the land below it are like a fingerprint of the past six or so years for me.
It’s a place that I’ve always returned to. A spirit home if you like. There’s something about Stanage Edge that you can’t describe. It has an energy and a smell (and I think only us weird locals really know what that means).
My childhood was spent on those rocks and under its bracken. It will always remain a playground for me, as it does for so many others.
When we were younger, a group of us used to all meet up at the One Stop, load up with meal deals and yomp up to what we called ‘The Spot’. Now that I’m older, I realise how we took growing up in this area for granted. I’ll always be grateful to have been brought up in the Peaks.
In recent times, returning home to nature and especially Stanage has provided me with the most effective form of therapy - and this is why I create my art, to help connect people with nature.
Yomping out in nature, climbing on rocks and swimming in rivers is still what we do today because it’s always been a part of our friendship. Valley friends are good friends.
I now regard myself as an artist and do work that I absolutely love however, I don’t think this would have been the case without this drawing:
This was my first piece of work that made me want to turn my home into my work. I started a T-shirt company inspired by the contours of the Peak District which ran for a couple of years before stopping. After developing a packaging concept for this company - to create a parcel that folded like the hills of the Peaks - I discovered what would become what I do today.
Without that pocket of inspiration from Stanage Edge, I wouldn’t be creating my art.
Joe’s website - Studio Skai
