I love you sheddies 🙂 If you have a great shed and are going to the trouble of creating a website just to drum up votes for your shed – then Iam happy to feature you in the My Sheddie feature – one such sheddie is a new comer to readersheds – Syd and his Stencil Shed.
Sheddies name
Syd
Shed name
If Banksy was Skint, The Stencil Shed.
Selfbuild or off the shelf shed?
My Shed has lots of history and has lived a charmed life. The ‘old side’ was originally owned by my father in law, hidden away behind his house and mainly used for his building tool storage and a breeding ground for mice and spiders. My wife can remember being scared to enter this sheddy secret domain as a nipper and remains petrified of spiders to this day. A few years back my father in law tried in vain to sell the shed in the local newspaper for a £100 so I seized the opportunity, dropped a few hints that my shed at the back of the garden was rotted into oblivion and hey presto his shed was now mine.
The little shed sat perfectly happy at the end of the garden for a year or so but remained untapped potential until a ‘local businessman and pig farmer’ who we call Pig Bill offered us a wedding present of days labour on anything we wanted. After a few ciders with Pig Bill whilst rubbing chins and pondering we hatched a plan to double the size of the shed by jacking up the roof, building a new floor (with reclaimed skip materials), adding a couple of nice outward opening doors and a small decked area.
So its an off the shelf shed thats been doubled in size and pimped right up into something totally unique to fit the available space.
Why have you got a shed? uses etc
What started as storage has turned into a workshop, man space, chill out zone and occasional party area.
Its main use is as the head quarters for my hobby come, wage top up of spraypainting stuff. You can see its littered with sculptures and artworks from my days as a street artist (now retired to the Shed) about four years ago. With wifi and power now installed there is nothing I like more than spending an afternoon dreaming up new stencils and p*** takes that I can then turn into something tangible. I’ve sold artworks all over the world, some commercial and some pretty whacky. But its all facilitated by the environment… The installation of ‘Little Ned’ the woodburner has meant I can now use the stencil shed in all seasons, nothing quite like a home fired brew while pondering art and life in the shed.
How would you describe your shed?
Well, its packed with quirkyness… a mixture of spontaneity and functionality. For example, its got a tree growing through the roof. On the day of the build we just couldnt bare to chainsaw it out so we made a hole in the roof for the tree that we then made weather tight.
To me the Shed, is perfectly logical in its evolution but I guess to others looking in, its probably a bit weird.
Who are your Shed inspirations
You always try to not be like your Dad, but unfortunately genetics and learned experiences count. My dad purchased an old chicken shed that he then built in the garden of our first house about 30 years ago. He used this for his fledgling ceramic sculpture business after quitting his teaching job. I have lots of memories of going to see dad hard at work in his ‘studio’ on a summers day. As I grew older I sort of turned into his mini assistant adding textures and finishing touches to his many animal models and silly characters. Hes sold out now, still doing the ceramics but from his cellar, hes in his 70’s so maybe the cold frosty mornings finally got to him.
Future Shed plans
I have to be honest and say I think its at its max for features. But… functionality wise it could get some wendy house or den features. My wife is expecting her first child on the 31st July and based on experience of our friends kids visiting they all seem to end up playing in the shed!
How did you find out about our community
My mum saw an article on the web, and forwarded me the link urging me to enter. So I thought to myself why not?
What word or words would you use to sum up Sheds
Personal sanctuaries for creativity and relaxation.
If you would like to feature in My Sheddie then please fill in this Q & A
If you think you have a shed that can compete with this in the Shed of the year competition then why not share it over at www.readersheds.co.uk and you could be in the running for the £1000 prize from Cuprinol and your shed could have the title of Shed of the year 2012 🙂
Stencil shed!!!!! the community shed, Art & Cider, nothing better!! And how this shed has grown in 2 years. Great ideas from Syd, so much packed into a small site. The Stencil hunts all over town have been such fun and have drawn the community together!! Only today I had a conversation with someone who is missing the hunts…… hoping we hav’nt seen the last of them. Best of luck Syd!!!!! xx
Taking the shed at face value is great but the judges must bear in mind what the shed & Syd are responsible for. Without the shed we wouldn’t have the guerilla art drops across the town, imagine waking up in the morning to go to the drudgery of work, starting your journey in by walking through town and seeing artworks all over the place which are free to anyone discovering them, great they are too, long may you continue Syd and good luck Syd!
Thanks for shedding some light on it all, Syd.