A Brush with Mondrian
Yvonne Louis discovered more than she anticipated when she began delving into the origins of a painting she had inherited. She talks here about the writing of her memoir and the pleasures and perils of the writing life.
Where did the initial idea come from for your memoir?
The idea came at a time of crisis. I panicked at the thought of losing the few things entrusted to me by my mother when my house was under direct threat of destruction by bushfire. It was mid 1994 that the idea first came to me that I should try to find some answers and document my findings.
My mother had valued the small collection of family heirlooms as they were the only link with her past in the Netherlands where she had been orphaned young during WWII. I was the only child of my parent’s marriage and there was no-one in Australia who could pass on the objects or the story of my parent’s migration in the 1950s.
The large portrait of her mother painted in 1916 seemed of greatest concern as was the mysterious portrait of a young woman that she always called Miss Maris. The paintings had taken on an almost spiritual embodiment of my mother’s past and I felt that I had been a very sloppy custodian. I set out to atone for my lack of care by finding out more about the paintings back in the Netherlands. I wanted to know how they had come to us and who had painted them so that my own children would have more information about our family history.
What was the process you went through in writing your book – from the initial idea to completion?
The research process began when I started making enquiries here at the Art Gallery of NSW. This was followed by written enquiries to the large auction houses Christie’s and Sotheby’s here and overseas. I wrote snippets about my findings during school holidays but the research at a distance was so frustrating that I needed to take the painting back to the Netherlands. It was a decade before the internet would have been a huge help. For years I traipsed back and forth uncovering tantalising information and in the process reconnecting with my Dutch family.
After years of piecemeal jottings I joined a writing class in 2005 where the first draft was born by December of that year. That was followed by 2 years of further research, learning more about the craft of writing, submitting the subsequent drafts to critical eyes of writing friends and professionals. Then the final sigh of sending it into the world to 3 targeted publishing houses.
Did anything surprise you?
I was surprised to be offered a contract at all because I had been told several times that although it was well written it was unlikely to be a commercial proposition.
How did you go about finding a publisher for your memoir?
I looked at published books with any similarities to my manuscript in libraries, bookshops, online. I rang an author of one of those titles and he gave me courage. I approached only publishers whose work I admired in layout and design as I envisaged illustrations would need to be part of the process.
What has been the best part of the experience?
The best part has been the rich network of kindred souls who love to write for its own sake and the learning that is endless and nourishing. Seeing my book on a shelf in a bookshop is still surreal but now the talking about the book at libraries or author events is opening up another area of interest and I am enjoying meeting readers and other writers.
What are you working on now?
I have begun to write about the master forger Han van Meegeren who fooled the Nazis and divided a country.
What advice would you give to emerging writers/memoirists?
Write for yourself but have an eye open for people who can support you in a writing group or course. Haunt bookshops and take note systematically of publishers producing books you admire. When it comes to choosing an agent or publisher be prepared for rejection. Grow a carapace but don’t give up and keep on writing. Consider alternatives e-books, self publishing and blogs. The writing landscape is changing and that can work to your advantage.
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A Brush with Mondrian, published by Murdoch, is available in bookstores now.
For more information on memoir writing see the June Newsletter in the Newsletters Page.
For a list of resources on Writing and Reading Memoir go to the Writing Resources Page.
To find out about Memoir Writing Workshops see the Courses Page.
See examples of Pamela's memoir writing at www.pamelacook.wordpress.com
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