Having left you last time with my mural painting project, I thought it would be helpful to return for a while to the 'Green Donkey Cookery Book', and its origins.

I left the teaching profession in 2012, having taught for 15 years in 3 secondary schools.  The first 5 as a full time art teacher and head of Department, and the last 10 years working for 3 days a week as an art teacher, to enable me to continue my work as an artist.

Here is a picture of me in my studio, as part of the Chichester Open Studios Art Trail in May, 2012.

I am probably smiling so much as I am looking forward to handing in my notice.

 Looking at the images in the studio, you would be right in finding a food theme occurring.
About 4 years prior to this, I started a body of work where I was combining painted images and ideas with illustrations from my collection of 50s, 60s and 70s recipe books.

Although I love many things connected to being and working at home, I would have gone totally crackers if I had been born earlier. Then I would have been expected to have become a full-time housewife, in a society where men were the bosses both in and out of the workplace.

The painting shown below, called 'Housewives 1', was painted to show how difficult and unfair these conditions must have been for many women who were expected to have no career or expectations beyond their husband, home and family.
This was the start of my 'food art' journey, which meandered along to become the idea for the 'Green Donkey Cookery Book'.

Keep reading, it will all become much clearer as the story unfolds!