June Lornie - My Interest In Alice

As a child I spent most of my life in Alder Hey hospital, in those days visiting was once a month so, as that was the only time I saw my parents, the doctors and nurses became a substitute Mother and Father. I had to lie on my back all the time so I was given a mirror to help me to see what was going on. This meant that I always saw the world back to front.

I remember the nurses telling me fairy stories like Cinderella, Snow White and many more. Because I had a mirror, I was told that there was a story about a little girl who went through a looking glass, that little girl was Alice. At the time the story went over my head however characters like the Red Queen and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee and of course Alice stayed in my mind, but then they read me the tale of Alice in Wonderland. That was it! I just loved the story. I used to think that one day I would sit in a garden and follow a white rabbit down a rabbit hole and see all the strange things that Alice saw. I would look into my mirror hoping to see Alice so I could follow her.

The years went by and I was still fascinated with Alice. I became a theatrical costumiere and staged lots of fashion shows, Alice was always included. I then started buying books about her and Lewis Carroll and was really hooked even buying my granddaughter an Alice outfit from Llandudno.

I created a series of illustrations of the Alice in Wonderland story and when I had an exhibition of them at Brimstage the Cheshire Life magazine ran a two page spread on my version of Alice In Wonderland. Ken Oltram from the Daresbury Lewis Carroll society saw this, contacted me and asked if I would like to go to one of their meetings. I did, and both David (my husband) and I joined The Lewis Carroll society and are still members today. At the exhibition I sold a number of the illustrations and then decided to do the full story which can be seen at The Liverpool Academy of Arts Web Site.

I have held many exhibitions with my "Alice in Wonderland" and have dressed up as the Queen of Hearts to attended many Mad Hatter's Tea Parties. One day I hope to start illustrations of "Through the Looking Glass". That should keep me busy for a few years! So you see Alice really has been a big part of my life, because of that I would like to thank Lewis Carroll for all the pleasure he has given me and so many people all over the world.