Picture this, it’s 1985 and a red headed, curly haired 10 year old girl is in her dining room with her felt tips colouring pens and lots of A4 copy paper – she is drawing the character ‘Garfield’ the cat for a collection of posters her parents would put up on their walls to mark a celebration they were having – I think it was new year because I seem to vaguely remember drawing Garfield with ‘Happy New Year’ in bubble writing above his head. She is happy and content, and more importantly to her she is happy with her drawings – she thinks she has mastered how to draw the character Garfield quite well and is pleased with herself – she hasn’t yet appreciated how proud her parents are that they are happy to stick her posters up around the house for the party. In case you don’t know, Garfield was a comic strip character which was created by artist Jim Davis and in the 1980’s Garfield is everywhere; as a comic strip in the newspapers, in books, as a cartoon on TV, on pencil cases, T-Shirts. So, you see having Garfield posters on the wall for our New Years Eve party was very cool at least for the 10 year old in the house.
That little girls was me! But I bet you guessed that. From here she continued to draw and paint but more likely draw as I can’t remember having lots of paint at home (sorry Mum and Dad if we did!). She went on to take G.C.S.E in Art & Design and for her final project she painted a green cupboard full of her most loved Teddies. I remember thinking this wasn’t actually that good, at least compared to her friend David Smith who was incredible at drawing and had a whole set of the latest artists marker pens (I remember being envious). David known now as Dave is Dave Smith Illustration – Studiotoad and he went on to be and still is a brilliant Illustrator who has illustrated for the famous children’s book ‘Horrible Histories’ amongst many other brilliant things– so I was right when I knew his art was pretty special!! Go check his work out www.davesmithillustration.co.uk I was awarded an B in my Art G.C.S.E. and I was really chuffed especially compared to my D in History and my D in Maths which I had to re take!
I left school and went to a sixth form college, St Brendan’s, in Bristol because they had the most brilliant art department – a new building which was just for art next to the main college – can you imagine how excited I was!!!! I left my school, and my school friends behind – which looking back was pretty big so it shows how much the art was calling me. I met some amazing friends and some which I am closer than ever with now – my besties! I worked really hard at my A level art, long hours, working at home (along with Sociology and English Literature) and I came away with an A – I was super chuffed, I felt I had really improved since my G.C.S.E. I applied for 4 Art Foundation courses, Bath, Weston, North Bristol college & Bristol (Bower Ashton), and was excepted at all 4! By the way in case you aren’t aware in order to take an art degree you have to complete an Art Foundation diploma for a year first (and obviously pass) then you can take your degree in your chosen subject. By now I bet you think the art path is all sewn up, Art G.C.S.E., Art A Level, Art Foundation Diploma then Art Degree etc but no!
This part of the story is a little muddled in my head, so I won’t dwell on it but suffice to say my parents split up when I was studying for my A Levels when I was 17, I also had a boyfriend whom I met at Sixth Form college, and we became inseparable. We convinced each other than we couldn’t be apart – although I think he actually convinced me rather than it being joint, and I remember conversations around how if I went to do my Art Foundation course that wouldn’t be fair on him as he wasn’t continuing education and instead starting work. So, I didn’t go!!!!! Much to the upset of parents – in fact I still have a letter that my Dad wrote to me begging me to continue with my art – which was quite unlike my Dad and now I look back on it, this was a big deal. So he started work and I didn’t (can’t actually remember what I did as I wasn’t working) and a few weeks in to the Art Foundation course starting in the September I get a call from my friend Sarah (a brilliant ceramicist who went on to be a brilliant Graphic Designer – and a very good friend of mine still) who told me how brilliant the Art Foundation course was and that I ‘just had to come!’. I am pretty sure I have thanked Sarah since for this call but here officially Sarah, I thank you so much for giving me the push I needed! And again, it’s a bit muddled but somehow, I was brave enough to tell my boyfriend that I was going! And so I started at Weston College!
Now you think I’m back on track, right? Wrong! But that will have to wait until part 2 to continue my story. Follow me for art tips, art processes and art advice.
