I started painting around 1977, I cannot remember how I got the idea for the people. I cannot draw or paint free style but used templates and after a while playing around came up with people that had no eyes, ears and noses, only mouths. I felt that by the shape of the mouth it would depict what the person in the picture was feeling.
I have drawn and painted my own Christmas cards for many years using these characters and then decided I would do an illustrated book. |
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I came up with the Globb Family. Molop and Dolop, (Mum and Dad) Enog, (the son) Wammy and Gammy (the twins) Trot (the dog) and Charlie (the spider). It was a very simple story of the family taking the bus to go on holiday to the seaside, aimed at very young children. |
I painted a few pictures and went to the local children´s school to get some reaction. They seemed to like the pictures but one little boy said the people were blind as they had no eye´s and another little boy said that the dog had got sun burnt, as he was red. I found this very amusing and the children´s reaction very encouraging, they also thought they were very funny. They loved Charlie the spider and how naughty Enog was.
Once I had completed the book I had an interview with an agent in London, so off I went with my paintings. The meeting was very positive, she loved the paintings and agreed to take me on and try to get a publisher. I came out feeling as if I had won the pools. I practically danced down Oxford Street. She took the book home and showed her young son, who was obviously not enamoured, which must have caused doubt in her mind, as she went to a publishing house to try to sell the book with a very negative attitude and it was turned down. Maybe it was not good enough. She then told me she could not represent me and I found myself without an agent. It was a huge blow and I lost complete confidence in my work and didn´t paint for months. |
I have had pictures of me in the newspapers with my paintings and somehow joined ‘The Society of Amateur Artists’. They were holding an exhibition in London and had a section of celebrity paintings and they asked if I would exhibit one of mine. I did not go to the exhibition. My acting agent phoned me a few days later and said “I didn´t know you could paint” and told me she had just had a phone call from the art critic of the Daily Mail who had seen my picture, liked it very much and would like to interview me. Of course I was over the moon. After the telephone interview he said my picture would be in the Daily Mail along with other pictures painted by celebrities. I was so thrilled I told everyone to buy the newspaper but another blow, it wasn´t included and I felt a fool. Never mind. Below is the picture exhibited, the family waiting for the bus for the seaside. |
I gave up on the book as I came across the political correctness madness. I had written “Mummy was a very busy housewife” “Oh you cannot say that” I was told. I cannot remember what the supposed discrimination was but it seemed I just couldn´t say anything I wanted to, in case it caused offence. I still have the book and my paintings and one day might start again, but in the meantime I have lovely memories of the pleasure I experienced creating my characters. |