Inspiration in Nature

A stunning display of the life of the Silk Moth from the Natural History archives at Wollaton Hall. 

After travelling all the way to London to view cocoons and being very disappointed at not be able to see any displayed, I was so happy to receive a reply back from the Curator at my local museum, Wollaton Hall, to say that they had a collection of silk moths in storage and I could make an appointment to view them.

The display was fantastic, very inspirational and I was able to view them up close, the museum staff were very helpful as was the curator who organised a room for me to spend as much time as I liked studying them.

You can sometimes under-estimate whats available on your doorstep, and I certainly did, I’m going to make more of an effort to support local museums and visit more regularly. 

Natural Gift

A little present I received a few weeks ago from a fellow artist @harleygallery has given me such a puzzle and inspiration at the same time. It’s taken me a while to figure out what this gift was, the artist said “this is one of my favourite things in nature and I wanted to give it to you”, whilst handling it I noticed it was very soft, light and had a rattle when you moved it. I thought, as it rattled, it was a seed from a plant, but I could not find any wooly seed pods that resembled this.

Whilst relaxing one evening watching the series ‘Marco Polo’ there was a scene where a trader was caught trying to smuggle some small oblong white items in a walking stick. The items looked just like my seed pod, and it seems they are not a seed but a cocoon from the Silk Moth.

Since finding this out I have found a renewed fascination for cocoons, which is apt as I created a seven foot high woven cocoon last year for the charity 'Sands’. It has given me some ideas for new shapes for my wax weaving and during my research visit to London next week, I think I will visit the Natural History Museum to look at my cocoons.

Thank you Phil Neal for my lovely gift.