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| The tree in the forest has lots
of animals. The little girl is having a picnic in the forest. |
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| The forest is dark. The little
girl is scared. She wants to go home but she couldn't find
her way. |
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| is it this way
is it that way
I don't know |
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| the little girl thought for
a minute |
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Guest Artist
  You
last saw today's guest artist, my great-niece, Izzy (who
will be 6 next week), sitting on a log, back in the summer (28th
August) and she also makes a cameo appearance in my garden sketchbook,
Rough Patch. When Joanne and Paul
called this afternoon, Izzy and her elder brother, George,
spent most of the time drawing.
While George and I compiled a couple of tiny booklets, one of them on
Pond Life (George's drawing of our pond from a couple of years
ago appears in Rough Patch), Izzy worked quietly in the background,
showing me the occasional drawing and asking her mother to spell out the
words she was having difficulty with.
I had no idea that she'd created a little story until she came to me to
staple the sheets of scrap paper (left over from innumerable trial versions
of pages for my book) together. When they left, she shyly presented Barbara
and I with the finished results. I like the pace, the way the drama builds
and the details, such as the caterpillar (below, right) dotted
around the pictures and bringing the forest to life.
A lot of artists - from Picasso to Dan Price - have learnt a lot from
watching how children draw. I'm impressed at how both she and George were
able to create a bubble of concentration around themselves while we adults
chatted over tea and cake.
 Thank
you for the story, Izzy. 
Richard Bell, richard@willowisland.co.uk
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