Marry an artist? Never! So I always thought, and reading these autobiographies does nothing to change my prejudice. Married to artists, both Judith Pugh and Irena Sibley spend a good deal of their time cooking and, even more, socialising. Not that they mind. Judith declares that ‘cooking was my deep pleasure’, essential to the story of her life with Clifton (‘Clif’) Pugh. Irena concedes facetiously, ‘it’s too hard painting pictures. It is easier to bake cakes.’ The importance of food is apparent in the chapter titles. Eleven of Sibley’s chapters refer to food, while all of Pugh’s have subheadings that, typically, jumble up evocative ingredients.
Unstill Life: Art, politics and living with Clifton Pugh by Judith Pugh
Allen & Unwin, $32.95 pb, 360 pp
Self-Portrait of the Artist’s Wife by Irena Sibley
Lytlewode Press, $60 hb, 306 pp
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