Textiles inspire my stamp collages

Apart from the most frequently asked question, "Where do you get all your stamps from?", another FAQ is, "Where do you get your inspiration?" . The first question is answered on my website, and the answer to the second can be almost anywhere!
I visit museums and galleries and art and textile exhibitions as much as I can, and the piece below was inspired by a visit to the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford - check their opening times if you want to visit, as I think they may currently be undergoing some renovation work.

The Pitt Rivers museum has a wonderful collection of artefacts from all over the world and my piece was inspired by a hunting bag made by the Ojibwe American Indians.  As well as beads, they used dried seeds and berries to decorate these beautiful but practical bags.  I made a small sketch and took a few notes while I was there and some time later created my own version using stamps to recreate my own design on paper.

 

Ojibwe inspired stamp collage design using stamps and pages
 from an old stamp catalogue. (above)

 A book called, "The Life and Art of the North American Indian also has a photograph of one of these beaded shoulder bags, which is in the Museum of the American Indian, Heyre Foundation, New York.

 Stylised plants and leaves feature in many of the Ojibwe textile designs and there is stron use of pattern and fringed decorations to complete the item.