illustration of Applejack by 10 year old me
Applejack. Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?
I drew this picture of Applejack when I was 9 or 10 years old. Applejack is a creature of My Little Pony, a real southern belle, beautiful as well as bold. She was my favorite of all the Pony’s I’ve owned. I liked her so much that I drew a picture of her.
I was so thrilled that my mum has kept all My Little Ponies for me. In my workspace – my woman cave – I’ve put them all together. Perhaps it sounds silly, a bit whimsical, but as Madeleine L’Engle, an American writer, used to say: “I am every age I have ever been. I was once a child, therefor I am always a child.” Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.
The painter Pablo Picasso also mentioned that every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up. That’s why I kept so many things as I can from my childhood. Only the best childhood memories survive in my place and in my heart. I don’t consider them childish. Not anymore, at least. I want to remain the artist I once was when I was a child, as that knowledge give me the spark of vitality I seek this year. And Applejack? She’s my talisman, the reminder of the talents I once possessed and I’d like to restore.
Ima's World 