So one is drawn to ask many questions in an attempt to tidy at least a few of the multitude of loose ends: what was John Ivesmail doing in such proximity with the Jelish family? If he knew David Jelish so well, how could his funeral be the first occasion he was introduced to 12-year-old Naomi? What was the nature of his relationship with Vanessa Jelish? Ivesmail certainly seems at odds with the Jelish way of life, criticising it as and when he can throughout his essay, so why would he form a romantic attachment to Naomi’s mother? Dare one suggest that Naomi herself may have been the incentive for him in wooing Vanessa? Ivesmail has subsequently paid far more attention to the younger Jelish.
Probably the most valuable contribution from the Nash discovery is a new sketchbook that was given by the young artist to her grandmother as a gift for her 75th birthday [20]. Spread over eight pages, the document forms the basis of a letter from Naomi to her grandmother, to be read aloud as her grandmother’s sight was fading. The text details Naomi’s progression from grieving child to hopeful adolescent, documenting her return to the site of her father’s untimely death. Many of these disclosures are very touching and funny, whilst some are painful and awkward. The passage is littered with additional images, presumably executed at Naomi’s whim rather than for her grandmother’s perusal.
As with many of the other recovered works, parts of the text that run through the ‘Grandmother Sketchbook’ are particularly derogatory towards Ivesmail. One can also point to the fact that the very existence of the document suggests that Naomi never acquiesced to Ivesmail’s request that he become sole recipient of her output.