Drinking the River Dry

Castaway oxfordtimes.co.uk Drinking the river dry... Sylvia Vetta meets artist, dramatist and poet Dwina Gibb Photographs: Simon Williams he loss of her husband it was her artwork that brought them of Dwina’s life and is the origin of her Robin Gibb in May 2012 together. She is not only an artist but dark humour and her lively dialogue. is still raw for Dwina is also, a poet, author and dramatist. “I was brought up in the middle of Gibb, but the births Her first dramatic production Last what is called the ‘Troubles’ but it felt T of her first grandson Confessions of Scallywag played to sold like a war zone. I was aware of the out audiences at the Mill at Sonning for darkness and the fear,” she said. Maxwell Robin two years ago and a seven weeks in 2014. Sally Taylor, the “My second school was the Collegiate second grandchild Theodore this year director of the theatre, described it as Grammar School in Enniskillen. The have helped take the edge off her ‘Charley’s Aunt meets Father Ted’. school bus was diverted when a roadside grief. Dwina’s interests are varied. She bomb blew up a convoy of British The Bee Gees sold more than 220 is a collector of objects and sculpture soldiers and left a huge hole in the road. million records worldwide, making related to mythology. She replaced We never knew when there would be a them one of the world’s best-selling an old tennis court in the grounds bomb among civilians, and as a child, music artists of all time. Only Elvis of her house in Thame, with a stone this was horrifying. Presley, The Beatles, Michael circle and in the centre has grown “My Uncle Ernie played the trombone Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul an oak tree from an acorn. in the local silver band and he expected McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees. The circle has been used for special to be with them at the November 1987 Dwina told me a lovely story about marriage blessings, name-giving and Remembrance Day Parade in Enniskillen. how, while driving through a remote memorials. She is vegetarian and enjoys He was called away by the Bishop of part of Rajasthan, she felt thirsty all religious or spiritual practices that Clogher who asked him to play The and pulled off at a small roadside encourage peace and happiness in the Last Post in his diocese – so my uncle café . As she walked in through world, and particularly likes the yoga and survived the bombing.” the door she heard the sound of meditation in the studies of the Brahma Ten civilians and a police officer were Robin singing ‘I Started a Joke’. Kumaris. She is also the Patroness of the killed and 63 were injured in what has She said: “Robin was singing to me in Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. come to be known as The Poppy Day the middle of a vast desert. It was such I wondered what strand of her life Massacre. a beautiful experience and I realised how would determine what she decided to Dwina said: “A young girl who lived their songs had reached every corner of take to our desert island. near us was injured and was in hospital the world.’ The place of her birth, County Tyrone for two years so the conflict felt close. Like Robin, Dwina is creative and in Northern Ireland has informed much Lots of people became witty and used 8 Oxfordshire Limited Edition October 2015 oxfordtimes.co.uk Castaway Dwina in the stone circle she created in the garden of her home “Robin was singing to me in the middle of a vast desert. It was such a beautiful experience and I realised how their songs had reached every corner of the world.’ Dwina with bear sculpture by Michael Robin Gibb’s Cooper headstone humour as a small light of hope. One fairy tales and mythology began. Many years later, when Robin was the of my choices for the island is George “My Aunty May had some illustrated subject of the BBC’s family history series Frederick Watts’ serene painting of versions of Grimm’s fairy tales and Who Do You Think You Are? we went to Hope. She is depicted sitting on a globe, other traditional stories. In her copy of Eccles Town Hall to research his great blindfolded, clutching a wooden lyre with Cinderella, one of the ugly sisters cut grandmother and great grandfather. I only one string left intact.” off her toes to make her foot fit into noticed some children’s artwork on the “Edwin, my dad, bought me my first the glass slipper. A little bird shows the wall and realised that my paintings had paintbox, and from that moment on, I prince the drops of blood. It was pretty once hung there,” Dwina said. painted portraits and landscapes. One gruesome stuff.” The teenage Dwina was an admirer of of the first paintings I sold was of the Dwina told me how a Catholic friend Lindsay de Paul, the singer songwriter racehorse Arkle. I loved drawing horses described to her the magical mythological and cartoonist. and swans. For many years I admired a stories of pre-Christian Ireland. “I “She had trained at Hornsey College painting of a swan on a mirror that hung wanted to learn Irish so that I could read of Art and I set my sights on studying in our home. I had never seen my father them. I asked my school if I could learn there, too. After a working holiday in paint, but after our father’s passing the language.” London, I knew that I wanted to leave I discovered that he had painted the It was a sign of the times that instead Northern Ireland. But there was a swan,” Dwina added. of encouraging Dwina’s interest they problem. Northern Irish students were “My mother, Sarah Jane, who all suspended her from school for a week only allowed to apply to art colleges in her life has been called Sadie, was accusing her of being ‘subversive’. England after being turned down by two good at drawing, and she was the Dwina knew that she wanted to be in Ireland. My art CV looked impressive storyteller in the family. She made an artist. She had begun entering and I took my A-Levels at 17 but I did up wonderful stories for me and art competitions as a child and won not want to go to Belfast School of Art,” my sister, Thelma and my brother almost every one she entered. Her said Dwina. Raymond. Thelma and Raymond have first exhibition came when she won a “I deliberately made a portfolio of stayed in County Tyrone. I am the children’s art competition aged just 14. crude awful paintings. It was the hardest only one who had wings on my feet.” But she did not actually get to see it. thing to do. The head of department who Sarah passed on her gift to Dwina “It was held in the town hall at Eccles interviewed me saw on my record that who began writing stories and poetry and I could not afford to travel there. I had won first prize for art in County when she was nine years old. It My aunt who lived in Gloucester went Tyrone and he guessed what I was doing. was then that her fascination for to see it and sent me some photographs. Continued on page 11 October 2015 Oxfordshire Limited Edition 9 oxfordtimes.co.uk Castaway Right: Dwina with an unusual Italian accordion. Dwina said: “Robin used it to compose I Gotta Get a Message To You.” Robin’s Lifetime Achievement Grammy award is in the foreground From page 9 I went red in the face but he turned a with a view to putting some of my for some of Robin’s later lyrics. She said: blind eye. paintings on the wall of the new house he “When I met him he was writing with “Having achieved one rejection, I intended to buy. The actress Sarah Miles Barry most of the songs for Barbara applied to Dublin. The application form was a friend of mine and Robin wanted Streisand’s album Guilty. He invited me arrived and it was all in Irish! Two to meet her. I put them in touch with to Miami. He was working on “I am a rejections meant that I could apply each other and they went out on a date. woman in love’. One week I was working to Hornsey where I showed my best At Sarah’s place he saw some more of for him and the next I was a woman in work and was accepted. After Hornsey my drawings. So it all came back to me love. That song has special meaning for I studied textile design at Cat Hill in again,” Dwina said. me. We inspired each other.” Cockfosters.” “At that time Robin was living with We talked about Robin and Dwina’s In the early 1970s after finishing his twin brother Maurice. He asked to house in Miami where they famously at art college, Dwina set up her own meet me with my portfolio to discuss a hosted Tony and Cherie Blair and which business in Shepherdess Walk, Islington. commission. We discovered that we had they later sold. She designed and made children’s bean the same birthday – December 22. We Dwina said: “The house in Miami had bags and chairs in novelty shapes such as also shared a similar sense of humour.

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