I was asked to take part in an exhibition called “A Sense of Place” at Reading Museum where they had curated works form the collection and asked artists/ makers to respond to them. I am one of the makers (others include a milliner, potter, silversmith, weaver)

My piece was a painting by Duncan Grant “the Orchard at Charleston” (Bloomsbury Group) and the previous month I had been to visit Charleston House - these images were still fresh in my mind and in my sketchbook so seemed a perfect solution - making Painters Mitts for Duncan Grant, to continue his painting year round, using the repeating patterns in the interiors that they had painted and the colours.

I love the idea that they used and used things until they wore down / didn’t take care of them and I wanted to make painters gloves that had the threads starting to run at the edges. These gloves are meant to be handled by visitors to the exhibition and tried on (unlike the rule of no touching) so that they will eventually have memories of the multi hands touching them and feel old.

Made from Shetland for utility and robustness plus the colours