We’re heading to the Derwent Pencil Museum in Kendal for today’s post, and yes, a museum for pencils. It was the most fascinating place, but it turns out that I’d been there before, many years before though I had no recollection of it. When our cottage host told us there was a pencil museum, it definitely piqued my interest and while it was a little further away from the trips we had planned, it was a great one to add into our itinerary.
I’ll share more about the museum, its stories and the vintage pencil sets on show another day but first something else that you’re probably not expecting - and that’s miniature sculptures on the tip of a pencil.
Yes.
They’re by sculptor and artist Jasenko Dordevic from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He’s self taught and tried many pencils before finding the right one - if you’re interested it’s the pencil with the highest ‘H’ grade. It definitely requires way more patience, and skill, than I have - but I’m very happy to admire them. The short stubs of the pencils below have the letters DERWENT on their tips, aren’t they amazing?
And if letters weren’t enough, there are miniature sculptures too - I can’t quite work out the middle one though (I’m no good at those picture puzzles either), but the acorn and the weightlifter on the first and third pencils respectively, are more than amazing.
I can’t even imagine how he came up with the idea, let alone had the patience to perfect these. Truly a skill.
These alone would make a great ‘Love This’ post, but there’s more. I’ve decided that I must be a bit of a pencil geek, as I could have spent much longer in the museum and I already left with many photos - and it took me a fair while to choose which set I’d purchase too. It’s a shame that the cafe wasn’t open (because of Covid restrictions) as I think MOH would have happily have sat there with a coffee waiting for me!
I think he’s worried that I might try and replicate the display below - and he’s right, I like it, but I have no plans to do so (yet) - but I can admire it. I think I’d prefer to use my pencils, though I’ve not used the ones I bought a huge amount, but I’m hoping to make more time for that soon.
The final pencil art I’m sharing is also from the museum, and this has an older feel to it - but is no less beautiful. While I like the rainbow circle above, this one really captured my imagination. To me it has a more prairie feel, and reminds me of many patchwork star designs too. Though to be honest I’m happy just looking and enjoying and not giving it much more thought.
But then again, when I peered closer and saw the detail of the pencils pinned int its place I was smitten all over again.
