Day Three - the birth of the Kitty cards

I spent my day in my grandmother's old bedroom and the dining room which are now the Industry and Invention room and The Company's Arms respectively. I felt strangely comforted in the fact I was in a place she would have spent many an hour in. I was tempted to draw the buttons or have little Kitty juggle with them or use the plastic knitting needles as stilts, but ended up using the domino set as stepping stones. My daughter Emily had a similar set for Christmas, although hers were curved, so it was relevant to now. But as I looked at them and superimposed my own little character on them in my mind, it took me back to my own childhood. Back in the 1970's my sister Kim and I used to love walking across the stepping stones at King's Square in Gloucester, when there used to be water and fountains. Kitty used to take us there too.

What I am finding is that the more one looks at an object, the more it becomes a personal experience. There are over 1,000 objects on display, and each one will speak differently to different people. One volunteer told me that a friend of hers brings in some elderly people who have Alzheimers, because when they see a familiar object, it triggers memory and they end up telling remarkable stories of years gone by - where they saw that object, where they were and who was using it.

Objects have a strange power to them, which I am realising. One volunteer, Mary Preece shared a few memories of the park with me today. She used to stay at the house for a sleepover with my Mum. Once the gates were locked, they had the park to themselves and they used to make a den in the willow tree. Also she admitted that when the water was drained from the Lido, she and Mum used to play in it!
It was extremely cold today and I found that limited what I could achieve as it affected my concentration. A few hot drinks helped, but I didn't have enough layers. It is something to consider in future - work conditions play a huge part in the outcome of an art project.

Had a few visitors from Stroud School of Art which was encouraging, two friends who are currently doing a HND in Fine Art, both accomplished artists in their own right and tutor Helen Smith, who is always so enthusiastic and inspiring.
So what did I achieve? Two small paintings and a drawing, which needs to be finished before I show it! I wasn't overally happy with the boot picture, so I might work on it a bit more. But here they are for now.

Kitty enjoys her stepping stones

Kitty takes a drive in her tank

I recently bought a book from a charity shop called Cigarette Cards and Novelties by Frank Doggett, published by Michael Joseph in 1981. One memory I have of Kitty is being horrified to see her smoking at a party. I must have been about 12, but my mum told me she used to buy a pack of Woodbines every week. This rebellious streak did come out then! She didn't smoke in the last 25 years of her life, but it got me thinking seeing all the cards and miniature objects today at the museum. Smoking then was a social thing and I recall seeing cigarette cards at my paternal grandmother's house - cards my dad collected mainly of sportsmen. His dad was a smoker and I guess he collected the cards. In celebration of collectables, I experimented tonight by making my images into cigarette card size - 6.7cm by 3.7cm. My aim to make 100 of them if I can! Or may be 96 to mark the number of years Kitty lived.

Frank Doggett's book which inspired the cigarette card idea

My images to date as cigarette cards - as she is miniature, I think the cards need to be too