Leighton House Museum

Possibly one of my favourite museums - Leighton House Museum in Kensington, London.  Once home to Frederic Leighton, (1830 - 1896) an english painter and sculptor. Leighton was very successful in his day, his first major painting was bought by Queen Victoria and he later became the president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

The most impressive part of the house is The Arab Hall, there is just so much pattern and detail to take in all around you. Leighton was a great traveller and purchased ceramics, textiles and woodwork from the Middle East to recreate his own paradise in London. Throughout The Arab Hall there are exquisitely patterned tiles which were purchased from Syria and date from the late seventeenth century. But this is only one small part, not to mention the great staircase that boasts a prize peacock, or Leightons studio with copious amounts of art. The whole house is truly beautiful.

5000 views!

Today i reached 5000 views on my blog! Thank you everybody! 

As long as you walk the earth.

David's Diamond Jubilee

A commission piece i've been working on for someone. Instead of saying 60, we went with the jubilee regal theme, complete with crown. I love working with navy in any piece of design, so these were a treat..!

Let me get what I want.

Happy Birthday Harriet

Just a small present i made for a special friend, a very simple line drawing. I hope everyone knows they will never receive a bought present again..!

Fight for me

Scott's Last Exhibition

Scott's Last Expedition - Natural History Museum, London.

Walking into the exhibition you are met with a cold breeze and haunting noises echoing around you. The room is cleverly laid out to replicate the hut in which the explorers lived on the infamous Terra Nova Expedition of 1910. White markings on the floor show all of the different bunks and exactly where everything was placed, it's very eerie yet intriguing. 

You are taken on a tour of how Robert Falcon Scott prepared for the journey - gathering sponsorship and money, the equipment used, examples of clothing - and you start to build a relationship with this inspiring character.  Around the room there are  copious amounts of diary entries, drawings and letters - which were only posted once a year on the 3 year expedition. It's when they start mentioning Roald Amundsen, that you start to worry.  Amundsen originally planned to journey to the North pole but suddenly changed track and followed Scott to the South. Amundsen beat Scott, and arrived at the South pole 33 days before him.

Not one member of Scotts party survived the journey home. The whole story is tragic, but it's amazing to see how they lived and fought for something important to them.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/scott-last-expedition/index.html