Old Faithful.

We had a happy but sad event in the house last week.

Happy, because our new studio desk, which runs the entire length of it and is made of reclaimed wood, finally got slotted into place and covered in our gear.
Sad, because my first ever work desk, bought for £50 in 1994, has finally been decommissioned. I'm not ashamed to say a little moisture appeared at the corner of my eye when it was gently removed from the premises.

This little pine desk was second hand when I bought it from Hinckley Sale Rooms a few months after graduating. I'd moved out of the parental dining room (my first studio) probably to their relief, building, as I was then, very messy 3D structures.

I had no idea the desk would be with me for the next 17 years. It's followed me to four different addresses and I can't even begin to count the pieces of work which have been created on it, but its surface bears testament to thousands of hours of creating, with its myriad ink stains, little cuts and scars. It bears them all triumphantly - you can probably see the 'favoured spot' on which I tended to work the most. It would put most structures of Ikean origin to shame with its longevity.

It's still in perfect working order and much as we love the handsome new desk, this will always be the Original Inkymole Desk. And it needs a new home. If anyone is or has a fledgling artist in their family, or a creative who needs a little spot of their own and wants something with a bit of history and a proven track record, I would be happy to pass it on. Ink blots and all.