Art from our travels

 A quick follow up to Tuesday's travel post, to show some of the art we experienced whilst we were away.

In Norway we saw a fair bit of street art which brought smiles to our faces. We didn't get to any museums or galleries (May Day public holiday in Bergen) but we saw some lovely pieces on the streets.

And this was street art to me! We paused as we dragged suitcases to the train station and turned and saw this massive stretch of board which had been home to many many posters over time.

In between flight arrivals and departures in Aberdeen, we made it to the Gallery there. There was a wonderful exhibition of embroidery samplers which was a joy to spend time with.

I like that these artworks have survived the centuries and they tell us about the women and young women who worked them. Their names are stitched into them. They are foregrounded, not backgrounded.

I also like the layers of symbolism in some of them - peace wreaths, forget-me-nots, doves and more. Here are a few of my favourites.

The oldest sampler there - by Hannah Bosvile, age 13, 1755

Mary Margaret Payne, 1827. 

Eliza Luke, 1799.

Mary Helen McMahon, 1885. I like the length of this scroll-like sampler, and of course the white on white of parts of it. It demonstrates a number of embroidery stitches, but also various dressmaking techniques.

And the local embroidery guild has also put together some modern samplers which are bright and beautiful!

Overall, it was simply a delight to see women's work displayed so prominently. The gallery also had an exhibition of women's works on paper; and one room full of Suffragette artworks and items - all excellent!