A history lover who unearths forgotten treasures is showing her artistic restorations at a special exhibition.
Kerrie Creighton, known as Art by Kerrie, creates paintings and jewellery which weave together nature, history and storytelling from her findings while outside mudlarking.
Whether it be Roman, Medieval or Victorian, her jewellery is made using pieces of forgotten history which are heavily researched before being restored.
This weekend, she will showcase her latest body of work – ‘Lost, Found, Reimagined’ – at the Minories Gallery in Colchester for the first time.
The new exhibition brings together the historic jewellery made from recovered fragments, as well as original paintings inspired by mudlarked finds and an interactive element where visitors can handle real finds and hear the stories behind them.
Kerrie, 40, said: “One of the things I love most about mudlarking is finding ways to bring history into the present.
“I’ve spoken before about the experience of holding history and giving it a new life, but what isn’t always understood about mudlarking and metal detecting is that it’s also an escape. It offers a sense of mindfulness and reflection that’s hard to find elsewhere.”
She approaches mudlarking with a respect for nature, leaving bottles or containers which have created their own ecosystems behind as “nature isn’t ready to give them up yet”.
In the past four years, Kerrie has combined her love of painting with her love of history and has included her works featuring hidden mudlarked or metal-detected objects in the locations she found them in the exhibition.
“All of the paintings in this series are inspired by that sense of wonder – by the feeling of discovering history after it has been hidden by nature for so long,” she said.
Her latest work is rooted in local Essex history and explores how nature reclaims lost and discarded objects, inviting visitors to engage directly with material history rather than viewing it behind glass.
Kerrie’s mudlarking jewellery is currently for sale at the Colchester Castle Museum, First Site art gallery, Essex Wildlife Trust shops and more – and her first exhibition of this latest work in Fordham in September was a great success.
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“I truly believe that holding history – carefully protected so it’s safe to handle – sparks curiosity in a way nothing else can,” Kerrie said.
“Of course, I would love visitors to enjoy my artwork, but I also hope they leave feeling inspired – seeing history as something accessible and alive, and carrying with them the curiosity that comes from holding and engaging with the past.”
Kerrie’s interactive mudlarking exhibition will be at the Minories Art Gallery from 10am to 4pm on February 7 and 8.
For more, visit the ArtByKerrie website.
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