Creative works
Some samples of our creative work
When not working Alison loves meeting people, travelling (mostly in India), Asian fusion and bhangra music, Bollywood movies, drawing and painting, has renovated three old, semi-derelict houses and reads voraciously, mostly current affairs, political and crime fiction, travel and history – but even the labels on tins if desperate!!
Art Nouveau
A hairdresser in Norwich, who shared Alison’s passion, asked for some paintings for the walls of her new salon.
Moghul miniatures
The incredible fine detail of Moghul Miniatures is fascinating. These are illustrations “borrowing” from that tradition for a story I wrote for my friend’s little daughter. Though admittedly each one was not done with a fine, single-hair brush nor did each take six months to complete as they would traditionally be!
It’s a version of the Ramayana told by a tree squirrel. You see these little creatures everywhere in India. My cousin told me they’re pests if they get into a house because, like rats and mice, they eat anything.
But nobody hurts them – because it’s said that the three stripes you see on the back of a tree squirrel are the marks of Rama’s fingers, as a blessing and thank you to the little creatures for helping the soldiers of the monkey king Hanuman to build a bridge from the Indian Mainland to Sri Lanka, where Rama’s wife, Sita, was being held captive by the multi-headed Lankan demon king Ravana.
Travel
“I always take a sketch book when I travel – there are things you see from trains or in a car when there’s no time to take a photo (or at other times you’d be mobbed if you tried!) but the images stick in your head and sketching them helps avoid sleepless nights. Plus you’re more involved in the scene with a sketch than with a photo.” (Alison Withers)
Here are few with stories behind them:
He stood like this, perfectly rigid and unblinking for the half hour it took.Then he inspected the drawing, muttered something incomprehensible and vanished. My “translator” in the crowd said he’d asked why it wasn’t in colour.
I guess he wanted to get one up on his rival from the day before!!
It wouldn’t impress UK Health and Safety inspectors!
Watching them assemble a complicated meal kept me occupied for most of a day!
and sometimes they turn into paintings.
Boss From Hell
This book was edited and illustrated by multimedia reputations for rms recruitment, London, for an event to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary and raise money for cancer research.
Charity Christmas Calendar
These illustrations are a selection from a charity calendar we organised for Stowmarket & District Chamber of Commerce.
January 2013
New Year Resolution: “I will not weigh more than my fridge”
Forget it. Resolutions were made to be broken … for a Stowmarket Chamber full English
March 2013
You don’t have to be mad to join a chamber networking event… But it might help!
April 2013
How do fish go into business? On a small scale.
September 2013
Excuses for sleeping on the job: “This is one of the seven habits of highly effective people”
February 2014
It was national blackmail day… And once again our secretary found herself on the horns of a dilemma