Symon Leech

Sometimes you get a commission out of left field, Shawshank Redemption was one of these. I'd forgotten just how much love I have for the movie, and indeed the book. It's based on a Stephen King novella, Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, found in the "Different Seasons" collection. I read this when it came out back in the day. I think I had to wait until my mother had read it first, but it accompanied me on a family holiday to Malta. So I had the grim existence of Andy Dufresne and...

One of our lovely patrons got in touch with me to ask for a favour. He wanted a commission from me for a special birthday. They wanted me to redraw one of my old pictures, which I very rarely do, but they are one of our long-time supporters, so of course, I said yes. "Jack Skellington and Sally" was the picture lined up for renovation. I had based this on "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt, the Art Nouveau painter. This is such an iconic painting that most people recognise it without knowing its...

So, back in the mists of time, when I was a boy, I discovered a new thing... Star Wars! I didn't know anything about it until the cards arrived at the corner shop; they came from America and had real American chewing gum with them! The gum was a novelty in itself, but the cards were a gateway to a world of wonder. You see, back in the day, when a film was released in the US, it took a loooong time to get to cinemas in the UK so the only exposure to this thing I'd seen in the news was trading...