Mischievious Magic

11:19am Thursday 17th April 2008

Three million people can't be wrong, can they? That's the number of book buyers around the globe who have bought Winnie the Witch and other children's literature illustrated by Korky Paul.

If you and your family are among those fans then you can see a rare exhibition of some of the original illustrations at The Mill arts centre in Banbury.

The artist seldom sells the originals so the next best thing are signed limited Giclee Prints some of which are on sale at the gallery. Korky's passion is not only evident in his exuberant illustrations but also his wish to encourage children to let their own imaginations fly by picking up a pen and drawing. For that reason he regularly volunteers to run family workshops.

Claire Reike Wright, of The Mill, curated this exhibition. Like many of the staff, she is an artist herself and told me how "Korky was here working with children two years ago and I joined in. I found it helped me a lot to loosen up in my graphic design work. I asked him if we could mount an exhibition of his work and was surprised and delighted when he said 'yes'".

Where do you begin describing Korky's illustrations? The devil is in the detail and the mischievous eye. The monster is not quite so scary when you see he is wearing a watch. The King, or is it the Queen, presiding over the huge banqueting table? Has a wild party invaded the palace and whose are those little eyes? The dog who could dig' has so much energy you think he will rip the paper and then Winnie goes on line. The internet is obviously magic for witches as well as for me.

Although this exhibition is not large, you can have a great family day out if you combine it with the interactive Hologram Exhibition at Banbury Museum and holiday activities at both venues. They are just a few hundred yards apart.

The exhibition is on until Monday. For inquiries call 01295 252050.

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