Saturday, December 02, 2006



At nursery school, we each had our own biscuit tin for elevenses. We refilled it at home on Sundays, before bedtime. We had to make the biscuits last the week - eat too many and there'd be none by Friday - Thursday, even. I liked the chocolate jaffas best and the ones with icing pictures.

(memory book painting)

10 comments:

Teri said...

What a wonderful memory sketch! It looks so comfy and cozy, and yummy cookies too.

Anonymous said...

I do enjoy these memories, Alison. And it gives me a picture of life in Scotland and Australia. I've wondered about teatimes in school for children.
Annie

Tami said...

I love the background in this one, I can almost smell that nuresry school smell. Excellent drawing. You bring some interesting customs to light through your drawings too.

Jan Allsopp said...

What an exquisite memory! And a beautiful sketch again. Just wonderful!

Penny said...

Interesting the differences in what one did, never biscuits where I went, love the little bits as tami said that jog the memory.

Anastasia said...

adorable!! I love your memory sketches!
do you use markers to draw these?

Anonymous said...

I envy your memories and I bet the cat biscuit tasted best. What's elevenses?

Jana Bouc said...

So much of this wonderful painting is foreign to me and just as much is familiar. I love your composition and the colors. What strikes me especially is the point of view--I feel a bit like an outsider or stranger, much as I did as a child, moving frequently, always being the new kid at a school and not knowing the customs. I'd never heard of elevenses (is that 11 am snack time?) We had milk and cookies (is that what biscuits are?) served to us but we didn't have to make or bring them. For a little drawing, it sure brings up lots of powerful memories and feelings for me. I hope when you finish the book you publish it and make it available for sale. I would really, really like to own a copy.

Alison said...

Elevenses are the word for mid-morning snack time. Most of my memory paintings are pen and watercolour - drawn first (with lots of erasing) then traced on a light box with pen, then watercoloured.

why said...

i like your style! and I like reading the stories behind those sketches too!