Without WORDS

People often complimented Sophie – but were they telling the truth?

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What I wanted to know was… How could I tell what people really thought of my artwork? It was all very well my husband saying ‘It’s marvellous, darling’, but were others just being kind?

People are willing to pay good money for a picture to hang on their wall. They particularly like landscapes of places where they’ve been on holiday.

I’m not knocking that. I have a few of those myself. But the very large, wooden carvings I do – what did people really think of those?

I’d always been interested in art. I took an art history diploma at college and dabbled in creative activities as a sideline. I tried it all… pottery, life drawing, oils and watercolours. It was wood, though, that really interested me.

My passion for it started with driftwood, mostly picked up on strolls along the beach. The children would moan because they always ended up carrying heavy branches home.

‘Sorry,’ I’d say. ‘Next time we’ll go for a proper walk, without stopping to pick up stuff.’ But I would nearly always collect the odd piece. ‘Mum!’ they would wail. ‘You promised!’