Friday 6 November 2015

My Early Writing and Art Career

 
 
There are times when I bewail the fact that I have a tendency to hoard things, and there are other times when I'm quite pleased about it. When I happened upon some of my old primary school exercise books today, I was quite pleased about it.
 
The most battered, and the most treasured, amongst them is my grade two story book - circa early 70s. I wrote the stories below at the age of six and they are the earliest records of my writing. There are certainly no signs here that I would aspire to writing when I grew up. However, I like to think that my passion for art was already in evidence.  I can still remember drawing some of these pictures and the fun I had while doing them.   
 
 

 
Leap ahead two years and my writing was still very lack lustre. I have the dreaded "improving" stamp on this page. I remember the teacher coming around to stamp our work and I always hoped to receive the coveted "very good" or "excellent". I thought the word "improving" meant "terrible" because it seemed to be reserved for the worst work.
In year four, every week we had to write a bit about what we'd been up to in our own lives and then we had to write about something we'd read in the newspaper. I suspect I may have read about a timber worker having an accident going by the picture and the rather brief interpretation of the article I'd read. 
 
 
I'd love to hear if other people still have their old primary school books in their possession.
 I'm afraid I have made a rod for my girls' backs. I have whole folios full of their artwork from baby scribbles through to their high school days. Each piece with their name and date of execution all carefully inscribed on the back.
 
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Below is my art blogging buddy Sally Chupick reading my book while relaxing on a short painting and hiking holiday with friends in Vermont. Sally is a wonderful artist and has recently been invited to show her work in the Kingston General Hospital in Canada. check out her very inspiring blog by clicking here
 
 
And below is my neighbour Elyse reading my book while visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia. She and her husband Graham had a fascinating holiday in Cambodia and Vietnam recently.
 
 
I hope you all have a great weekend!