TO SAY Ann Frewer has seen her share of tragedy is an understatement - she lost her husband in an accident and her son to illness, and her house was bombed just days after she had moved to stay with relatives.
So it is surprising to see the West Wickham artist's work, published in her book Life, the Greatest Privilege, radiating with colour.
The book, which Frewer has financed herself through publishers Pen Press, is an autobiography told in the form of watercolour paintings and sketches.
A talented artist, Frewer seems to be master of a range of styles and almost unable to decide on which one to keep as her own.
Her first piece in the book, On My Way, is a watercolour landscape of the universe bursting into existence.
The swirling pattern of the moon, the clash of bright colours and the splattering of texture is reminiscent of Van Gogh’s French landscapes, and like his, an almost childlike interpretation of a scene.
Given the book tells the story of Frewer’s life, it is not surprising most of the pages feature figures in the form of family members and friends.
The figures are depicted in a different way in each piece, which is either an appreciation for each scene’s independence, or yet again a desire to master a range of techniques.
They range from the unrefined and blurred in a bar scene, small and stick like in her winter landscape or relegated to just a mix of flattened shapes in her piece Questions.
While her incredible mix of scenes and styles keeps the eye satisfied, it is the descriptions alongside them which fire the imagination.
Frewer is able to humourise even the saddest of situations, and ironise the happiest - when she and her husband celebrated paying off their mortgage by buying a sailing cruiser, they nearly drowned.
But the tenderness which has undoubtedly carried the 74-year-old through life never more present than in her depiction of her beloved husband Reg’s death.
It’s a dynamic picture which shows every detail, down to Reg’s catapulted spectacles, is accompanied by the stark realisation that: “My dearest husband was dead.”
Life, the Greatest Privilege, £12.99 from Amazon.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here