My first job when I was 13 was as a paperboy for Madges Sweet shop in London. What really caught my eye was all the sugar: the back walls were stacked with jars of liquorice allsorts, giant pear drops, rhubarb & custards and gum drops. There was something so tempting about choosing, weighing and bagging up a quarter pounder of unadulterated sugar, then scoffing the lot on the way home.

For Pick ’n’ Mix, I reference this sheer delight of uncomplicated choosing. It’s simple. There is a series of works, five groups to be precise: candlesticks, lidded sugar bowls, crazy bunnies, vases and jugs. You can select three pieces, any three - it could be three vases or you mix it up, you decide what you want. Pick ’n’ Mix, Mix ’n’ Match, the choice is yours. Move things around and see what piques your curiosity. What makes you smile? The act of play, exploration or simply moving things around us lessens after childhood. However, this is where we learn, imagine and develop. Pick ’n’ Mix brings this back to you. Enjoy.

David Clarke
August 2026