The last week has been one long blur of driving and collecting work from different artists.
It is such a shame that I had so many to visit and so little time to spend with each one, because visiting the artists at their homes, seeing their studio's and getting a small insight into their world is just about the only "perk" that I have found in this job.
I visited many people and time permitting I will get around to them all, but to start with I will mention the person who instigated the my mini-tour of England, that person is Jackie Morris.
Many people have asked where the image of the Hare at the top of the 'blog site' comes from,
well it is a slightly altered version of an original drawing by Jackie which we were lucky enough to have and then sell a few months ago.
I say lucky because Jackie has allowed us to be the only gallery that has some of her original pencil drawings on show.
As many people know Jackie is a very well known illustrator and author, and has more books to her credit than I can think to remember. Her latest 'Starlight Sailor' was published only last week [and if anyone wants a signed copy including a unique drawing with the signature, then give me a call].
Although many people don't know her name they would instantly recognize the work if they have been inside a bookshop in the last few years, as she creates the covers for the books of many
famous writers.
Well my visit to Jackie came about as she had told me "you are only getting more drawings if you come and collect them".
So I did.
It was a little bit of a literary journey as on the way I was able to visit the home and "writing shed" of my all time literary hero, Dylan Thomas.
Having visited his home, shed and grave almost 40 years ago with my girlfriend [now wife and mother to my children] I wasn't able to pass nearby without having another visit.
Sometimes things are better left as memories and this was maybe one of them.
Much as I loved seeing his home and the scenes and pub that he looked at and visited daily it was a little sad to see the village 'Laugharne' [or Milkwood as it became immortalized] changing and becoming part of the modern world, a little of the magic had vanished forever.
I will at some point [I promise] show a few of the pictures that I took of the places that hadn't changed and where a little of Milkwood lives on.
Above are paintings by Jackie and a picture of her. The very strange thing is, as I mentioned to her "you write very much like Dylan Thomas".
"It must be the Welsh air", she replied.
Maybe, who knows?
The last picture shows the inside of Dylan's "shed", complete with his last beer bottle.
Thanks especially for the photo of Dylan's writing shed. It's good to see it's been left more or less as it must have been when he was last there. It gives all of us disorderly makers some reassurance that cleaning isn't the most important thing. Or ... it does that to me and my messy studio, at least. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Laugharne in the summer and thought it was quite a spooky place. There was no one about on the streets, it was grey and damp and a claustrophobic atmosphere seemed to hang in the air. We almost felt we had to whisper as we strolled around. I used to live in a village called Croes-y Cieliog near Carmarthen which is'nt too far away.
ReplyDeleteWhat the picture doesn't show Hollis is the scene he looked out on.
ReplyDeleteThe shed is perched up high overlooking an estuary and it was easy to imagine sitting there looking out over the waves dreaming, and then putting those dreams to paper.
It goes to show it is what is produced in the workplace that is important, not the workplace itself. In that respect you don't seem to be doing too badly.
Which reminds me, I must put some tea pots on [by Adam Frew] as I know the handles will interest you. They are very different.
Margaret, I know exactly what you mean.
ReplyDeleteThat was how I remembered Laugharne from many years ago, you could sense the curtains twitching as you walked past the windows, it was very like the Milkwood in my imagination.
But, on this visit I felt none of this.
The magic had gone and I felt sad because of this, but I'm glad that I went.