Ten minutes with Bethan Welby
One of the joys of living in Totnes (or visiting ) is meeting so many talented people. Musicians, authors, actors, artists, activists, craftspeople, cooks we are lucky to be surrounded by incredible creativity. The Mansion courtyard, where I used to hang out while in the sixth form, is now a thriving space nothing like the grim quadrangle it was back then.
Last week I popped in to talk to Bethan Welby, who was concentrating on one of her ten minute pop up portraits. For £20 she spends exactly ten minutes creating a likeness of the sitter – this time a little boy sucking a slushy drink, in Indian ink and pencil. So I tried to take just ten minutes to interview her.
Bethan is a professional illustrator of childrens’ books. Her latest, Phyllis and Grace, has been shortlisted for the V and A award and she’ll know in September if she’s the winner.
“My daughter when young said Mummy has a degree in colouring in. Now I have a Masters in colouring in as well,” she said.
Phyllis and Grace , written by Nigel Grey, is about Alzheimer’s. Phyllis and Grace live next door to each other and because Grace is a little girl she doesn’t judge when Phyllis puts a picture in the fridge or milk on the mantelpiece. They both love horses and are happy in each other’s company.
Bethan explained the process.
“When I got the text I did a lot of drawings of them as little girls playing together and I drew some horses, because horses are tricky. I got to know them, so when Phyllis is an old lady she still has a twinkle in her eye, she’s still a bit cheeky, she has a naughty side.” The publisher chose Bethan as a good fit for the book – the author has no says in it!
So what’s more important – the text or the illustrations?
“The text has to add to the drawings and the drawings have to add to the text . One of my rules is you don’t draw what the words say , you have to add something else.
The publishers chose me because I draw a lot of old sad people,” she laughed.
Care to name any?
“Well, during my Masters I did a book called Mr Macanino, with no words. It’s based in Totnes, and he is an elderly gentleman who has lost his wife, he’s very sad ,but he has a little dog he has to take out and very gently he gets to meet people and begins coming out of himself a wee bit. He gets sick – don’t worry, it all ends well – and people buy him a mobility scooter. He has a flat cap and glasses. And about two years after I wrote it, I met Trevor, in the park. And Trevor has a dog, and a flat cap, he didn’t even have the scooter then and now he has evolved into Mr Macanino.”
Does he know this?
“I daren’t tell him because he did lose his wife and now it’s all a bit too real, so I do know Mr Macanino. He’s called Trevor!”
The book hasn’t been published yet, although it was highly commended at the Macmillan awards.
And if you are reading this, Trevor, or a friend of your is, please get in touch! You are an inspiration.
Bethan has ambitions to create graphic novels – her hero is Posy Simmonds – but meanwhile she teaches print making and illustration and spends sunny Fridays painting pop up portraits in just ten minutes.
(This interview took 13 minutes.)