I embarked on this series of pieces, encouraged by fellow mixed media artist Helen Hallows, as

a further development of my previous work: Collection Compiled Whilst Travelling By Miss

Effie Partington'. This work had been inspired by collecting and the nature of the objects and ephemera that we treasure. We all collect things for many reasons including the items' monetary value, intrinsic value or for the cherished memories they evoke. 

Growing up, my finds were rather modest, comprising of little things that were special to me in

some way, such as 'lucky' stones, interesting shells or fossils, pretty buttons and beads, birthday cards, or flowers, picked on family days out, that I would preserve in a press, I always loved the contemplative process of packing my treasures into suitable boxes or tins to keep them safe from the deluge of time.

Over the years, my collections have continued to grow, with more and more objects and ephemera. I'm especially drawn to things that have a sense of history: antique or vintage items

such as books, maps, fans, lace and passementerie.

And boxes. Lots of boxes.....

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I have written a journal-style story entitled, 'Miss Clara Knight's Curious Collections', (see menu), to accompany this body of work. The premise is as follows.......

 

Miss Clara Knight is a Victorian girl possessed of a particularly independent nature, who has spent many years travelling the country with her father, an eminent Professor of Archaeology. As they search for wonders of antiquity, Clara compiles treasured collections of her own….

 

Series One: 'Seashore Specimens', finds Clara and her father exploring the southern coast of England for fascinating finds.........

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