The Enid Blyton Landscape

Enid used many illustrators in her books. Discuss them here.
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Rob Houghton
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The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Rob Houghton »

In Journal number 5, Spring 1998, there is an article by Gillian Baverstock regarding a painting by Tom Adams called 'The Enid Blyton Landscape'. Gillian states that she 'became the proud owner of one third of the picture' and that they were hoping it could be displayed somewhere so that children (and adults!) could 'see and enjoy its intricacies'. I wondered if this was ever achieved?

The painting is shown in Journal 5, unfortunately in black and white, but it looks a very interesting picture, depicting Enid, typewriter on her knee, surrounded by the faraway tree, her white pidgeons, pictures of her family and fictional characters etc. It's quite small in the Journal, and details quite hard to see properly. Gillian describes it as being 'a little too large to bring down and display at the Blyton Day!'

I wondered whether a print could be made of this painting, so that members of the society could own a copy of something that appears not to be on display. It seems a pity that such an interesting painting must have been seen by so few.

Would it be possible to get a print made of the painting, or is this too expensive/ awkward to carry out?
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I've been wondering the same thing ever since I read that article in the Journal! It looks like an amazing piece of work.

Anita
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Tony Summerfield
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Post by Tony Summerfield »

I'm thinking hard about this, but I have definitely seen it in colour somewhere and I don't think that I have seen the original unless we displayed it at an earlier EB Day. Hopefully it will come to me where I have seen it!!
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by pete9012S »

Image
Portrait of Enid Blyton - private commission

Commissioned by the Enid Blyton Company (1997) this painting, 1780 x 1220 mm, illustrates the rich childhood world of Enid Blyton. I had the great pleasure of working closely with the author's delightful eldest daughter, Gillian Baverstock, the owner.
http://www.tomadamsuncovered.co.uk/gallery.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



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bavers wrote:
I don't know unfortunately where the statue is but I can confirm that my mother still had it at her death. She was planning on putting it in the new garden she was going to create at her new, much smaller property. Unfortunately, the executors of her estate, with no consultation, sold the statue in Ilkley, in a sale with no attribution in 2009/2010, certainly prior to the sale of the other Blyton memorabilia in September 2010. Someone has a gem which presumably they are unaware of.

Had I known of the sale I would have tried to buy it, if only because of he memories it held for me. Not just the memories of it at Green Hedges, where it used to sit near a pond with the biggest goldfish I, aged under 8, had ever seen. But also because once it had moved to Yorkshire after Enid's death, my siblings and I knocked it off its plinth and decapitated it. I think my mother was angrier than I have ever seen her. I remember being so mortified and upset that I tore her Christmas card into bits because she quite clearly no longer loved me, as the card had assured me she did.

The statue was carefully mended and sat near two ponds, at Low Hall and Ty Bryn, until it was secured in the garage at her last house prior to a garden and pond being created.

I fortunately have the memory of it in the large Tom Adams biographical portrait which is hung in my hall, but it is not the same as the original.

Bavers
http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/foru ... ms#p198493" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Image

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Rob Houghton
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Rob Houghton »

:oops:

Perhaps I should get some prints made and I will pay people £5 to take them off my hands, LOL! :lol:
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Farwa »

Wow! Both paintings are lovely! :-) They are so beautiful and imaginative!
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Rob Houghton
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Rob Houghton »

Thank you! :D When I drew the second one, I was basing it on the original 'Blyton Landscape' painting, which I think is amazingly good! 8)
Last edited by Rob Houghton on 11 Oct 2015, 21:27, edited 1 time in total.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Katharine »

Robert Houghton wrote::oops:

Perhaps I should get some prints made and I will pay people £5 to take them off my hands, LOL! :lol:
Depending on how big the print was, I'd pay that for one.
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by number 6 »

Both are super! Love the little Badger peeking out from the tree in the bottom left hand corner of the first painting! :D
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Farwa »

Robert Houghton wrote:Thank you! :D When I drew the second one, I was basing it on the original 'Blyton Landscape' painting, which I think is amazingly good! 8)
Well, you did quite well; it is a lovely and very professional-looking painting! It ought to be in an art gallery. :)
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Re: The Enid Blyton Landscape

Post by Nicko »

Both very nice to see. Some lovely detail and great use of colours (I am colour blind however so I may be mistaken on the second point :D ).
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