A Painter's Palate

Food, art and life combine in a lavishly-illustrated book about Turkish cuisine, Turkish village life – and the will to survive a frightening diagnosis.

In July 2019, painter and art teacher Eljay Dickins was diagnosed with a Grade 4 inoperable malignant glioblastoma brain tumour. Sufferers have a 1 in 12 chance of surviving six months. Early diagnosis, radio- and chemotherapy, together with a determination that somehow she wouldn’t be crushed by it, helped save her life.

Published three and a half years later, A Painter’s Palate is a result of that dogged drive to live. As a creative person, Eljay responded to her diagnosis her own way – through her rich and vibrant paintings (a selection of which are included in the book) and through writing, drawing upon her years running painting holidays in an old stone house near the Aegean in Turkey.

Funny and often touching, the book brings together over 180 recipes of authentic Turkish daily family fare with vivid descriptions of her life as an Englishwoman in Turkey, of the people she met and the food she cooked while she was there.

A Painter’s Palate is a lighthearted, uplifting and inspirational tale of village life and local food, infused with Eljay’s ever-positive attitude, irreverent sense of humour and hope for the future against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Author Biography

A professional graphic designer and artist, Eljay Dickins worked for several publishing houses designing reference books, including many relating to cookery and wine. She also worked on both animated films and books for Disney, the BBC and Thames Television.

After purchasing the Old Stone House in Turkey in 2006, Eljay and her husband Phil set up Eljay’s painting holiday business, Turkish Painting Holidays. From this Eljay has formed the view that painting and cooking is the best possible combination for life enhancement, having provided non-stop fun and adventure, whilst allowing her to make many new friends over more than twelve years.

In July 2019 Eljay was diagnosed with an inoperable Grade 4 brain tumour. In most cases this will prove fatal within 18 months. However, after a year of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, Eljay’s doctors confirmed with delight that they had shut the tumour down and that, while there can never be guarantees as to the future, their advice now was that she ‘get on with her life’.