Inspired by ceramics ( and travelling crowns)

All this week the mystified postie has been delivering metal rings of varying sizes (lampshade rings and wreath bases) which I put to good  use yesterday , hanging 'secret books' in cotton organza, my interpretation of the 'Taplow Vase' from Slough Museum. Still needs some work - I can see the 'rim' needs lowering and the strips of organza selvedge replaced with something more metallic( not to mention working out how I'm going to attach the 'books' ) but it's taking shape now. 

 I think I was partly inspired by the idea of nomadic crowns, made in sections and  taken apart for travelling as seen on Friday  in the Afghanistan exhibition at the British Museum. This star piece really is spectacular - it shimmers and trembles as you stand next to it  but the remainder of exhibition is equally jaw dropping.

Before the timed entry, we visited the Minoan gallery - it's become a ritual  to see what the BM has in the way of artifacts as a taster before going on holiday (in this case Crete over Easter).

I've always enjoyed  ceramics- making sketches of broken bits of crockery is nothing new - I found some notes tucked into the guide book to Knossos and Heraklion Museum from 20 years ago. I was doing pottery evening classes at the time so was interested in  shapes and incised markings that I could use in my own work. I'm as likely now to 'draw' in Photoshop ( ie Taplow Vase using 'find edges' filter) but there's nothing quite like observing with a pencil.