Ancient Roman Wall

Roman wall

On our recent trip to London, I was inspired by the ancient surfaces  that surrounded us. Just walking down the street you come upon walls that have stood for over 1000 years, or buildings that were damaged by mortars during WWII. The depth and breadth of history is astonishing for people from our young upstart of a nation.

And yet London is an incredibly vibrant and contemporary city festooned with building cranes. Although many of the cranes have been stilled by the current economic situation, the city is a swirl of people of all colors, speaking many languages, as they rush from place to place.

I found myself thinking of my current body of work, the Artifacts. In these pieces I have been striving to get the feeling of the touch of an ancient hand lovingly creating items for daily use. These surfaces I was seeing, touching, and walking upon in London had the same feeling for me. The care and craft evident, the daily use assumed through the abraded surfaces, they were in plain view yet, in many cases, unremarked.

wall at the Tower of London

mosaic floor at the Victoria and Albert Museum

mosaic at the V & A

mosaic at the V & A

the brick wall outside our flat