Seaton Place resident teaches crystal art

Bolton Clarke Seaton Place resident Ian has always loved working with his hands. Now, he’s channelling his creative energies to crystal art and running sessions to share the joy of growing crystal creations with others.

Ian says his longstanding love for woodworking contributed to his interest in crystal work.

"I enjoyed woodwork. I salvaged a lot of timber myself and made things from it when I was working for the Kilcoy Shire Council,” Ian said.

"When I came to Seaton Place, I was looking around for new things of interest.

“I started writing poetry, moved on to growing crystals, and now I've completed my first painting. I'd never picked up an art brush in my life before!”

It didn’t take Ian long to find his new passion while getting involved in many of the creative sessions led by the Lifestyle Team at the home.

"I came across a YouTube video on growing crystals last year and thought I’d give it a go, and it’s just developed from there."

"I did my research, read a couple of papers and then experimented until I got the process right.

"I'm getting enjoyment from growing the crystals and actually putting them onto mounts that require a person to look at them and interpret what they feel about the scene.

"The beauty is in nature's natural formation of crystals.”

Ian’s crystal growing hobby has now become a regular addition to the Seaton Place activities calendar, with many residents jumping on board to make their own pieces.

"We concentrated on copper sulphate for our first session of the Crystal Group,” he says.

"I'm not a person who takes acknowledgement for things. I just do it for my pleasure and if it brings them pleasure too, that's great.”