The other day my mother came across some early drawings I had done when I was about 12 and not yet in high school...wait till you see the one I'm talking about...you will definitely need sunglasses I'm warning you! I decided to scan them...and whilst at it found a few more bits and pieces that were reminders of time past....so I scanned them too. Then I wrote this hello -and scanned it - to post for Rohan, one of those amazing people in my life that I've been lucky to know now for two decades..or longer... as he is the son of a very dear friend who resides about 800 miles south of here. I have to show these pics of the garden recently created at my lovely friends home out the back. Plants were chosen to attract butterflies, bees and birds. M has always had beautiful things around in her garden, coming from the Adelaide hills where she grew up walking through daffodils and jonquils each spring on the land at the back of her family's stone cottage. The sad thing about moving is the friends you leave behind...this is the house where I have a lot of happy memories in Melbourne, and wish I was there more often for the cups of tea and dinners with all at the long table! (miss you all lots!)
a few journal pages from 1987 in Europe
this one below is from high school days...when I would sit in class and with my blue biro cover page after page of white paper as I listened to my history teacher go off on great tangents for an hour at a time! There is a very 70's quote with this one...plus I was about 16 at the time...and very idealistic!
as I said about the sunglasses you would need...below is a wild texta extravaganza I did for Book week in my last year at Primary school. Obviously TV was bringing psychedelia to the small country town I lived in... this had to be 1970 and I do wonder what exactly I was looking closely at as the inspiration for the colour in this one... but there you have it...12 years old and its all happening...with the textas anyway!
9 comments:
Sophie, This Post is so full of treasures! Did you illustrate the European journal? Wowow!! What a beautiful collage with images...and thank you for showing your friend's garden. That's exactly what I plan for this small plot of land and so it was great to see... and your big bright 70's illustration would probably sell for $$$ today! It is very hip - now :)
This was great - wonderful post!
Is it not wonderful to look at ones early work, especially that of ones childhood a parent has saved, allowing us to relive a memory.
These are truly wonderful Sophie, and one can see why you have chosen a life in the arts.
Thank you for sharing
Egmont
Hi Janis,
Lovely to wake up to comments from 2 wonderful San Francisco visitors this morning!
Some posts feel risky...no wonder I like to write about other artists and ideas...so thank you for indeed kind words!
Keeping a journal for 6 months travelling..(well 2 years all up...I kept a journal in London when I was working there too) was a great way back into my own work after 6 or so years of teaching and putting most available creative energy into that. Plus I met so many people travelling who just happened to be "a writer", "a painter", "an actor", "a photographer" that finally I asked myself why I could not consider pursuing art more directly as opposed to teaching for a salary and helping others connect to their creative capacity.
An obvious step for some...this was Mt Everest for me!
When I was at art school in the late 70's the message for women was hardly about having an art career and generally my painting teachers could be found at the pub, not in our studios... by the time they graced us with their presence comments were barely articulate....and certainly not useful!
Despite mainly being ignored for 4 years the silver lining was learning to fall back on one's own intitiative - the passion had to come from within!
So travel afforded me much more than fabulous new vistas and cultural offerings. My drawings have not remained quite this worked over or tightly constructed simply because over time preoccupations shifted and a visual language arose out of the need to articulate things differently.
M's garden is delightful by the way...look forward to seeing images of yours in the future.
So did you ever have a psychedelic phase Janis....for 5 minutes perhaps?
Thanks for sweet words Janis - see you,
S
Hello Egmont,
I'm grateful for your words.
Its true that many memories flood back when seeing something from childhood. One recalls perhaps forgotten parts of oneself.
In 70's Rock band work I see no self-consciousness, just a simple enjoyment of colour and pattern and putting something together that pleases one's self. Not a bad motivation at all actually - so good to be reminded!
I'm lucky I had parents who thought it was good to play sports, be outside and do other activities...I could easily have spent childhood making art of every kind...designing houses preoccupatied me from ages 12 to 14. So many enthusiasms took over and pushed me on.
You know that feeling that something chose you? That came early...its just that its not always been easy to believe that one had enough to offer the pursuit of this demanding vocation.
I'd have liked to have experienced this form of community years ago...the capacity for blog interactions to carry such warmth, appreciation and commentary to and fro.
Well...that is here now...and that is wonderful!
Thank you Egmont!
S
I LVOE the ballpoint blue pen work. It looks like a massice doodle that just grew and grew. I always seem to have a pen in my hand whilst on the phone ~ so this piece makes me think of one really long phonecall!
Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment Chrissy!
Hope your celebrations were wonderful!
This past week was so rushed I have not caught up with it yet.
see you soon,
S
sohpie, your talent glows through your early work. i love the journal and the blue doodles! what enviable talent! i also really like your friend's garden, as it's full of tropical things i can have. wish i could come see, but very far away.
M's garden is lovely...I have not seen this new one though...It was being created when I visited in january....but is now propering! There used to be a fabulous Persimmon tree in that area I remember. Probably why I like visiting your garden (via Blog - sigh!) is because of people like this friend of mine who added much to my appreciation for the wonders of growing things!
I'm glad you enjoyed the postings of early bits and pieces...bit of a hoot!
Nice to hear form you Em!
enjoy autumn!
Sophie
A psychedelic phase? Not that I can remember, though maybe a surreal phase briefly in high school!
xo, j.
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