Inspiration in the Vaults of the Museum

Over the last few months I have been preparing for my forthcoming exhibition at Perth Museum.  Perth Museum is a relatively new attraction here in Scotland, and I am extremely excited to be having the opportunity to have pieces of my work on display there!  The pieces that I am creating are based on the museum collections.  You can see above the two colour linocut I created based on the Great Egret which is stored in the vaults of Perth Museum and Art Gallery.   You can buy it as a fabric and wallpaper on my Spoonflower shop.

In my 20s, my first 'proper' job was working at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.  It has a very distinctive smell in the basement, due to all the specimens which have been preserved through taxidermy.  Although some people may find taxidermy upsetting, I can appreciate that the specimens served an important purpose.  Many of the birds and animals preserved at Perth Museum and Art Gallery date from the Victorian era, and were a vital educational resource when people were unable to travel in the way they can now.  They are still in use today, with many people using them as a reference source for lots of projects.  

You can see above, I was searching for a bird with a dramatic beak.  I considered a Scarlet Ibis, and then a glamorous Agami Heron.  However, in the end, I decided to go with the Great Egret.  Not only is it a stunning bird, with climate change, populations have become established in water courses across Scotland.