The Guggenhamster
Molly, Age 10
My hamster Pancake became my best friend during lockdown, as he was the only one I could play with when we couldn't leave the house and see our friends. I wanted to make him something really special to play in, and given all the art galleries were closed (and being a hamster, he wasn't allowed in them anyway), I thought I would create one especially for him, which I called The Guggenhamster. I painted a series of miniature paintings featuring Pancake, based on some famous originals like 'The Mona Whisker' and 'Pancake with the Pearl Earring'. The gallery felt a little empty when Pancake wasn't playing in it, though, so I also made Pancake out of clay and painted it to look just like him. Now he can always enjoy the paintings I made, and we have a lasting memory of the fun we had together in lockdown.