Last December...

I read about an exhibition at Portsmouth Museum called 'Make! Believe! Make!' (Someone even fonder of ! than me?) It included work by Alice Kettle, the idol of all Hampshire embroiderers, so I had to go.

I intended to get down to Pompey before Christmas, but it didn't happen, and when I realised the exhibition was due to finish before the end of the month, I decided I'd better get my skates on. So today, as the sun was shining and it was Sunday (we only go to Pompey on Sundays, due to traffic and parking), off we went.

There were, judging by the notes I made, 10 artists involved, showing work inspired by or related to objects from the Museum collections, alongside the sources of inspiration. And that was the fascinating bit - the inspiring objects were sometimes quite unexpected. For example, Ms Kettle had explored naval history, which isn't quite what I associate her with. 

I haven't got the energy to write about all the exhibits I liked, and it would be much quicker to list the 1 person whose work I didn't like than the 9 I did, but it was an excellent exhibition. Apart from Ms Kettle, my favourites included:

Sue Paraskeva's ceramics, inspired, I kid you not, by a tray of broken eggs, also on show. You can see how this influenced her work here.

Melanie Tomlinson's exquisite and unusual metalwork, influenced by biscuit tins and butterfly collections

and Annette Bugansky's 'knitted' ceramics, influenced in part by a weaving by Anne Sutton, which we liked so much that we bought one. (The ceramics, not the weaving, although I would have liked that too.) I'm almost inspired to go back to the knitted vessels I played around with when we were doing 3D things for the degree. (Don't be stupid, Cheshire, you haven't got the time!)

Then coffee and cake in the Museum tea shop, and home. The only fly in the ointment was that the traffic was dreadful. All the world and her husband seemed to be driving from Gunwharf Quays to the seafront and back again. Wensleydale, who got so fed up sitting in traffic jams on his way in and out of Pompey that he sold the car and took to the train, said it was as bad as a weekday. And an accident on the M27 didn't help.

Despite all this gallivanting, I have managed to do a little on 'Moving On'.

Potential backgrounds/page stiffeners using extra strength Vilene. Blue-black Quink is the perfect colour.

I hope they will flatten out when I add a backing - I shall be using the last of the curtains which featured so strongly in my first year degree work for that.

And I took advantage of the sunshine to get out the tripod and take some better photos of the completed pages. 

Nex week is going to be busy as it's half term, and a small person will need to be entertained as well as her brother. I suspect a visit to Manor Farm may be called for....