About From Sal
I started painting illustrated letters as gifts to newborns near 30 years ago. It was completed on return from our children’s primary school years spent in France.
Why illustrate an alphabet? Returning from heady days on the continent, it was to remind me of our wonderful British landscape , fauna and flora, where I had roamed freely and wildly as a child on the west coast of Scotland: chasing oystercatchers on sandy beaches; sailing on blustery lochs; skiing on the rocky slopes of Glen Coe; a rather large lobster I met on my plate aged six .French notes have crept in, unavoidably, as they should as this is a tapestry of my life’s most enjoyable visual delights.
What influenced me? Discovering the Duc du Berry’s 15th Century manuscript, Les Très Riches Heures, letters embellished with jewel coloured animals and flowers, whilst studying french and art history at Edinburgh University, many moons ago. This is my version of that age-old art and I trust that, like a good fairytale, crafted to appeal to all ages, my illustrated Alphabet will bring pleasure to both children and adults.