What a delight it was to paint these treasured childhood favourites of Ivy’s for her 10th birthday present from her grandmother!

Some of these take me back to bedtimes with my own children: favourites being The Ahlbergs; Dick King Smith and all the ‘My Naughty Little Sister’ books 🙂

Hetty Feather inspired us to visit the Foundlings Museum on a trip to London – an emotional experience, particularly seeing the half scraps of cloth and other tokens left by mothers to identify their child if they ever managed to be in a position to return…..

Others take me back to my own childhood: ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’; ‘Carrie’s War’ and ‘Now We Are Six’ (more A A Milne related exciting news in next months missive!)

This image is now released as a Limited Edition print; an A4 print and a Book Art card– something for every occasion!!

I saw these on display at The Bodleian Library’s ‘Treasures’ exhibition,and thought to myself… ’Now there’s a painting waiting to happen!’

The 17th Century king’s essential books were reprinted in miniature, bound in red goatskin and tooled in gold to accompany him on his travels. The contents apparently include classical texts by the poet Ovid and the philosopher Cicero as well as bibles and religious books.
One wonders how he knew which was which, or did he just take pot luck?

“This exhibition explores the power of narrative in contemporary art, bringing together artists who engage with text and books as literal materials, as well as those whose works unfold through strong storytelling and visual narratives. Collectively, the artworks reveal how stories, written, implied or imagined, shape meaning, memory, and human experience across artistic practices.”

I will be taking some of my work and merchandise up to the Edinburgh Premier Book Fair on the 20th & 21st March. If you are in the area, do pop in for some bookish browsing and chat 🙂

Best Wishes,
Roo

Currently Reading: A Kestrel For A Knave by Barry Hines