Réunion Island Book Cover Illustrations
The book cover illustrations were prepared for the Editions Grand Océan after reading through and interpreting three manuscripts that were passed to me by its Publishing Director Jean-François Reverzy.
"Voleur Chemin" by Nathalie Hermine-Tranquillin
The first illustration was for the book cover of Nathalie Hermine-Tranquillin's first novel "Voleur Chemin" ("Thief Track") Printed by Précigraph Limited of the Republic of Mauritius, this book was published by the Editions Grand Océan in February 2002 (ISBN: 2-9507688-8-1).
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"Voleur Chemin" "Tout en s'accordant un air précieux, elle crachait par terre et tournait la tête d'un mouvement vif." Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Please note that this is not a scan of the original painting, but a scan of the book cover. |
"Sirius" by Thierry Kasprowicz
The second illustration was prepared for the book cover of Thierry Kasprowicz's "Sirius," but unfortunately this novel never came out for the Editions Grand Ocean. It was finally self-published using a different title "Ré-union," ("Reunited"), and appeared without a cover illustration for the Editions Le Manuscrit in 2006. The initial illustration for "Sirius," that shows the main character contemplating the Réunion Island scenery, should still be of interest to those who appreciate the stunning views of Mafate from the Maïdo.
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"Sirius" "Je redécouvris, du point de vue du Maïdo, le Cirque de Mafate." The novel states that the whisky flask contains Glenmorangie! (This is a single malt distilled at Tain.) Watercolour, 34 x 24 cms, signed Walkington and undated. Available. |
"Lève-toi et marche" by Janick Tamachia
The third cover illustration project was for Janick Tamachia's "Lève-toi et marche" ("Get up and walk") but apparently this book was never published. In 2010, the Editions L'Harmattan, released Janick Tamachia's "Au fond du chaudron" ("At the bottom of the cauldron"), which is also a novel also about life in Saint-Denis, but its story and characters are quite different. The illustration for the "Lève-toi et marche" project shows the heroine Rosine with her father "Patte Canard" ("duck foot") just before he was to leave his case (a small house in Creole) to go to an elderly care home.
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Patte Canard et Rosine "Le costume était un peu élimé mais présentable jugea Rosine." Watercolour, 33.5 x 23.5 cms, signed Walkington and undated. Available. |
But the Publishing Director of the Editions Grand Océan was by then considering a change of the title of the novel, from "Lève-toi et marche" to "Nuit de braises" ("Night of embers"), or something along the same lines. He therefore asked me for an alternative illustration, showing the nightlife of Saint-Denis, as briefly described in the manuscript. Please note that the following illustration is only an interpretation of fiction!
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Nuit de braises "Une femme en mini-robe en lamé argenté et cuissardes noires, probablement une prostituée, faisait les cents pas près de l'Hôtel de Ville." Watercolour fiction, 33.5 x 23.5 cms, signed Walkington and undated. Available. |
Réunion Island Postcard Illustrations
Compared with the book cover illustrations, which had to be specifically created for the novels they would represent, the postcard illustrations were quite straightforward. Five watercolours were simply chosen from the artist's stock by the postcard editor Agedis:
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Saint-Louis en novembre Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Chosen for a postcard illustration by the editor Agedis. The above reproduction is a scan of the postcard. |
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| Les coupeurs Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Chosen for a postcard illustration by the editor Agedis. The above reproduction is a scan of the postcard. |
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| Le repos Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Chosen for a postcard illustration by the editor Agedis. |
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| La roue marmaille Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Chosen for a postcard illustration by the editor Agedis. The above reproduction is a scan of the postcard. |
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| Ti case des hauts Watercolour, signed Walkington and undated. Private Collection. Chosen for a postcard illustration by the editor Agedis. |
A missing painting?
Should you possess a watercolour that you cannot find here but you think should be on this page, please refer to the section about missing paintings in "Other Information."
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But should you wish to make enquiries about an eventual acquisition, or if you prefer to send a private message about any subject, please email me at the following address: william.walkington@wanadoo.fr