Drawing a new future

COMPETITION WINNER Anne Wilson is pictured with her mother Marjory Wilson (Artist) and Ruby Borman, who was the winner of a competition at the launch of the colouring books last weekend.

Cory Kilbane

Since moving to Westport from Singapore in 2015, South African native Anne Wilson has found herself reeling in the years, as she is attempting to make a living from what was once her mother, Marjory’s passion.
“When I was six years old, my mother used to sketch out pictures for me to colour in. She was as artist, and she loved doing that,” said Anne.
“She got a lot of compliments from friends … and she thought to herself that she might do an actual colouring book for kids. She sort of planned out three colouring books in her head at the time, but she never got round to it because we went off to school and life got busy.”
Still, Marjory did manage to produced some small-scale ones on a local level in South Africa.
Now in her 70s, Marjory is thrilled that her work is being made available once more. Last Saturday, she and Anne launched a colouring book of her most recent sketches in Westport at a special party attended by lots of local children.

Gamble
Before moving to Ireland, Anne was employed in banking in Singapore, but she took a gamble and quit her job to move to Westport to be closer to family members who are living here.
She dreamt of setting up her own business in the town, but she wasn’t convinced that it would work out for her. However, a visit from Marjory changed everything.
“My mum came to Singapore before I left my job there, and I was chatting to her about moving to Westport and what it would mean,” she said.
“She mentioned to me whilst chatting that somebody had stopped her in the street [in South Africa] and said, ‘Are you Marjory Wilson? Do you still have some of those little printed colouring books?’. The woman told her that she had coloured them in as a child, that she loved them and that wanted one for her daughter.
“That’s when I realised, maybe I’ve got an ‘evergreen’ product on my hands … maybe we could engage with kids now in Westport, and maybe these kids will be giving it to their kids in the future.”
Since then Anne and Marjory haven’t looked back, and they are making huge strides in their bid to make a successful business out of the colouring books.
Last year they launched a ballet-themed colouring book, and buoyed by its success, they went on to release the latest book, which has an ice-skating theme, inspired by Marjory’s love of the sport
Since word broke in Westport about the colouring books, Anne and Marjory have received many suggestions and ideas for their next project.
“My mother has already had requests for another book. We are going to do something a little different, based on requests we have had from people in Westport when we produced the ballet book.
“I’m seeing where it flows, I’m also taking a lot of feedback from the kids of Westport in terms of what to do next. I’m trying to engage the local children more also, which is why we had this party on Saturday,” she said.
For Anne, whole experience of helping her mother publish her work has been a steep learning curve.
“This has been sort of a practice run for me on publishing a book properly … you know, with the structure of the book and the printers and all that sort of thing,” she explained.
“For my mum, producing these colouring books and having people from the likes of Canada, USA, Brazil, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and European countries, including UK and Ireland, colouring her pictures, it’s exciting for her,” she added.

Colourful future
Looking ahead to the future, Marjory’s young granddaughter has taken a particular interest in the colouring books, and she may well follow in her grandmother’s footsteps in years to come.
She started colouring in Marjory’s old books when she was just two or three. She was six when the ballet-themed book was released. Now seven, she contributed to some of the drawings in the latest ice-skating-themed book.
“We are kind of hoping it will become something and grow in Westport in the future; she might even take it over – you never know.”

MORE Majory Wilson’s Ballet Colouring Book can be purchased on amazon.com.