One of the best Sunday afternoon outings was going to the dump. We didn't usually throw anything away but scavenging was great fun. We found lots of useful things.
Once, my brother found a lot of chemistry glassware. He took it home, washed it and set it out to dry. The chemistry professor passed by. "That looks like our glassware," he said. "Finder's keepers," my brother replied. "I might sell you some." My brother was having a real shop.
Another time, my brother found an unused lemon soap. "That'll do for Mum's birthday," he said and put it in Dad's coat pocket for safe-keeping. Months later, when we were visiting Granny and Grandpa in Bridlington, we went to Sewerby Park. Dad felt in his pocket for a sweet for the camel. He pulled out the lemon soap and offered it to the camel which chomped it all up.(Memory book paintings and EDM challenge # 101 Draw some soap)
17 comments:
These are great - I can't believe you do them from memory!
These are great! I always look forward to your new pieces and can't wait to see what you finally do with the entire set!
Your compositions are getting so confident and interesting. These are just priceless, these memory paintings and the narrative that goes along with them.
These are simply DELIGHTFUL!!! From the camel to the science equipment .. wonderful story and terrific sketching!
I came across your blog for the first time this morning, and am asolutely taken with your memory paintings- your reminiscing takes me someplace beautiful, and makes me appreciate all the little idiosynchrasies of my own family, and life. Thanks for the treat, and I'm bookmarking your blog :)
Amazing Alison! Your stories and images often strike me as if they were surreal dreams and they stick in mind (I'll never forget the eels drawing). It's almost like visiting Alis(on) in Wonderland. A soap eating camel eating (what was your dad thinking feeding soap to the poor creature!), searching for treasures at the dump and discovering lab glassware as buried treasure? And your drawings and the details in them are incredible. Wow!
I love your memory paintings, they are great drawings PLUS the bonus of lovely stories. Sometimes they evoke memories from my life, even though I live (and grew up) in another part of the world.
I love all of these, and the accompanying stories. Scavenging at the dump is one of Robin's fave pastimes too.
Scavaging in the dump reminds me of a trip, years ago, to Zagreb (Yugoslavia, then). I have always thought how strange it was for the tour bus to take us the dump to see the people who LIVED there. Isn't it amazing how art can bring forth memories and feelings?
many thanks for your comment on my blog, I am especially glad for it because of it's introduction to your work, wonderful stuff here, I'm an instant fan!
Alison as usual they are a delight. raining here, been going for several hours, will at least give the garden a good soak and fill the tanks, will also grow all the summer weeds! Hope it gets over to the thredbo fires in time.Penny sorry am signing in as anonymous again, had written this before I looked below.
I have to agree that these are delightful. You have such a lovely sense of colour and doing memory paintings is such a great idea.
What lovely drawings you have made! The scenes are really delightful and so well done. You're great with watercolor! I noticed that you are from Canberra - here in Portland, Oregon I lived in an apartment complex named Canberra Heights. Someone from Australia must have been homesick. Wonderful blog.
cheers!
Haven't looked at this blog for some time. Terrific ideas and memories.
Camel eating lemon soap - beaut one.
Going to the tip. Not allowed now! My youngest boy had an Italian friend and one day the boys went missing. I went to the boy's mum and asked 'Where have the boys gone?' She answered, 'Gone tippy!' She said it a dozen times before it twigged. They brought home junk to make a go-cart.
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I remember this too. "Anyone want to come to the dump with me?" was always met with screams of excitement. My greatest find was the fan magazines from last week dumped by the newsagent. Man I was popular at school that week! Look what you've made me remember! How do you remember them yourself in the first place?
I remember this too. "Anyone want to come to the dump with me?" was always met with screams of excitement. My greatest find was the fan magazines from last week, dumped by the newsagent. Man I was popular at school that week!
These are BRILLIANT! Just love reading those memories!
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