I have been going through my Mum's archives recently, sorting out some images of me as a child to use as part of my exhibition. This photo, age 7, is probably the first time I posed with Giddy Goat (or perhaps Giddy's grandad). The little boys are my twin baby brothers. We were in London Zoo I believe.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vqx0mPX_Amkr2yiyDBAcykW3Owp8Trv3_x16bUHfykZot5vobvzznnOr4fjzAqZaV5NsOUmppBa1oTtKkWe9vTiE51GbKhuwC-BwDNmILPXVvQaVedGeR42YcLox17C-n8Bl14jB2jU/s400/me-age-7-with-goat.jpg)
I thought children visitors to the exhibition might like to see what I was like as a child, and also some drawings I did when I was little. My Mum is great - she's saved so many of the drawings I did, that I had a treasure trove to choose from. I thought you might like to see some too:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-UR_FmsDOBCFuacl-tiJxtphh8q-ZxJ0W_yoNfCIQuyhSs9rwfVDQzpgFkJ23pixeRMYSS-fICovvStOu_ue-qS5izoH0plO0A3cgv5_mS1VMetwdq1ieuCoqJGDkQ5iAMnV-JDxie4/s400/early-drawings.jpg)
The man above was done when I was 3, the dancing cat a year later. This is a photo of me at that time, age 4:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOBKaZoFpzsSmphyphenhyphencCnvAP1D0iWVuFSJ_eMhYWZ0bFPlQ_idZb25UP4BLLM4XVL6v5djTtc8nTvZzHKE_415vGp23eS1qz1JmvafuCbjt_vHo-NkxZN4LrPuD8IpWttyqO0SCpG0Xe08/s400/me-age-4-yrs.jpg)
I thought this one was rather cute - it's from my school news book, age 5. It was only my 2nd term of school (what an extraordinary thought!).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE2zh7AzeXXebiGU__lzSThYYnRT4kjLqI2NvonB20FKPJROgeN2W7gr6a8MJRvd3N77j-_82Ur8V11mX6tOBoRMZ-15sHj7DIUVMic0FUgG-VU6B4hyphenhyphennDa6wYGZM7e7JLfn6pzS4Mq0k/s400/new-shoes-age-5.jpg)
And this hilariously goofy photo is my first school photo, taken in the same year:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtdrXaC2XEOJl_Bd5EBgkL0yZg1dLI270NG03Um1IljXLy9Sf96M_D9E9-9b4QEnaW0jn2_u_szY_d_lYZohPNPPme_0xjsqvx1wHZ6YsKg3WWM5LdQwIrzV56rrtIjZtWM1r5rqkhzM/s400/me-age-5yrs.jpg)
On my 40th birthday, this photo somehow escaped, and one of my friends printed T-shirts from it. How embarrassing.
At least some of these images are going to form part of a big introduction board at the beginning of my exhibition, giving background about me and my work. Like the fact that I actually trained as a textile designer not an illustrator at all! This is a very, very old sketchbook from those textiles days:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2337pocG359UMcA0pt4MuOY9w4_0McZ1NXGSJnFNkXUhPnl9Ab-fgfmj0Fl3-VHZiL1SzV33VqTxhFoQfx8lXrBmxFJUXFxekCs2CQ6VlhViqGNC7fxUPfC4giMwJzgSlrCwT8srtJs/s400/textile-sketchbook.jpg)
6 comments:
What a lovely post, Lynne. I see from your early work you were much more than 'averagely' talented! The dancing cat is really, really lovely! Great pics of you as a little person - aren't mum's great? They keep everything, don't they? Bless em!
I had the same hairstyles as you at the same ages! We are the same age now so maybe that has something to do with it? I think textile design is a perfect training ground for illustration, I like your strong sense of pattern and composition. :o)
It´s a good idea show us your first drawings. As early you promised ...
That's a great idea Lynne - and it's always good to show the children that there were normal animals around when you were a child - not dinosaurs as they sometimes think.
Excellent idea and wonderful to see the early items and photos (especially love the peek at the textile notebook). I saw a retrospective of Ronald Searle's work in Munich in 1996. It was great - he had drawing from when he was 6 years old. I'm sure that everyone will appreciate these parts of the exhibit - not just the kiddies! We have!
Yes I must admit, I am personally extremely nosy to see background bits and bobs, and I remember being fascinated at a Picasso show by his teenage drawings.
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