WHAT HAS INFLUENCED ME?

Harry had asked me why I had written the stories, and that made me analyse why I had put these ‘little people’ into print.

I mention early in the blog that my introduction to reading was through Richmal Crompton’s ‘Just William’ stories. Even now I still collect reading matter about the role model that William had become. During my teacher-training in 1973 I began collecting Puffin books for children, and since then I have never stopped my collecting habit.

The question then, ‘What influenced me?  That is simple – Children’s literature.

Within that genre I did find particular favourites. I became totally involved with the works of Lewis Carroll, especially ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and ‘Through the Looking Glass’. My days in art college were spent in trying to involve myself in the dream world of children.

What fascinated me about Lewis Carroll was an amazing imagination and how he could weave a character with impossible physical locations without the need to justify the impossible. Strange and magical situations are just accepted, and children involve themselves without the wish to have everything being ‘everyday’. Children are born with that ability to accept the unacceptable, provided the outcome is not overwhelming.

It is that which motivated so much of my own writing as the stories ran from one to another. I believe that the later titles have more impact both in their vocabulary and their imagery. I have made it crucial that whatever happens to Hiccup during his misadventures, magic and unlikely events everything works out well for him in the end and he retains his eagerness to meet the next teddy-bear.

Hiccup doesn’t ever fall prey to serious long-term injury. As with the life of Alice, events occur which bring us to be concerned for her but she comes to the end of the tales with a simple message of fulfilment.

In terms of literature, along with William and Alice, Biggles was a great source of enjoyment, as were all Robin, Swift and Eagle comics and magazines.

In terms of illustration, my art school training didn’t show me any particular favourites or styles. Only when in 1990 I began teaching art did I find those who meant a lot to me. The whole of the ‘Arts & Crafts’ movement appealed to me; decorative works held appeal and I have to admit to finding the work of a living artist, Lesley Anne Ivory, did much to push me towards attention to detail, ornamentation and an escapist environment.

The 60s had a huge impact. Not a particular artist but the whole of the psychedelic art style which has been sadly lost in the sterility of the modern world.

The years 2003 to 2018 was a time in which I felt unable to meet the world head-on and retreated to keeping my philosophy hidden in sketchbooks

I self-published a book called ‘Hidden Works, Words and Worlds’ which followed the progress of those sketchbook years.

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