Art by Kerrie exhibition wowed visitors with Essex history

Over the weekend, the Minories Gallery in Colchester hosted Kerrie Creighton, known as Art by Kerrie, and her special mudlarking exhibition – ‘Lost, Found, Reimagined’.

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.

The exhibition brought together the historic jewellery made from recovered fragments of history, as well as original paintings inspired by mudlarked finds.

Visitors could even handle real finds and hear the stories behind them, with each piece being heavily researched by Kerrie after being uncovered.

Happy - Kerrie Creighton, who runs Art by Kerrie, was left feeling deeply grateful and very happy after the exhibition (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

Mudlarking - Kerrie is well-practiced at unearthing fragments of local history via mudlarking and metal detecting (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

“Seeing people so absorbed in history, and so eager to ask questions, was a real highlight,” Kerrie, 40, said.

“I spoke with so many people who share a love of history and storytelling, and one of the most rewarding parts of the exhibition was being able to bring a selection of my finds along for people to handle and examine closely.

“Watching that moment of curiosity and connection unfold was incredibly special.”

Pieces at the exhibition included a piece of fossilised whale bone from the Pleistocene era, a Roman coin from the fourth century, Roman gaming pieces, and a mystery object that many people enjoyed slowly exploring under the microscope as they discovered its patterns and possible uses. 

History - Each find is heavily researched before it is repurposed or restored (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

Creative - Kerrie's art is inspired by her finds, including this piece of acrylic paint on a vintage chopping board (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

Visitors also enjoyed Kerrie’s original paintings, which feature hidden mudlarked or metal-detected objects in the locations she found them, displayed in recycled antique and vintage frames.

“Combining older materials with new work felt like a meaningful way to honour the past while allowing it to be seen afresh,” Kerrie said.

“My aim is always to respect and highlight those who came before us, and to give their stories, objects, and traces another chance to be loved and cherished.”

Exhibition - Visitors enjoyed being absorbed by the displays, including the acrylic on an antique school writing slate on the small stand (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

Special - Each piece of work aims to to respect and highlight those who came before us (Image: Kerrie Creighton, Art by Kerrie)

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With a background in education and teaching, Kerrie is passionate about children’s emotional learning and development and is developing a project to bring art and history into primary schools with hands-on, sensory experiences.

She is also looking for new venues to host the interactive exhibition with the long-term hope of developing it into something that can tour galleries more widely.

“Overall, the exhibition left me feeling deeply grateful, slightly disbelieving, and very happy,” Kerrie said.

“The warmth, curiosity, and generosity of everyone who came along made it an experience I’ll carry with me for a long time.”