In which we chat about books

Not long ago, I received a surprise in my mailbox, sent by lovely Sara Morão of the Ilustrarte Biennale.  

They are the wonderful catalogs from the last two exhibits (mentioned previously). 

Although it's difficult to choose just a few, I wanted to show you some of the images from these books that I have been lingering over...

Here's a detail of a collage by Yana Levieva of Bulgaria, about whom there is very little on the internet .

But she does appear to design postage stamps from time to time.  

(So perhaps she is like the mysterious character in Griffin and Sabine?)

This vivid collage is by Bernardo Carvalho, of Portugal.  

I have long been an admirer of his work, and that of Planeta Tangerina, the publishing house which he co-founded.

Laia Domènech Castillo from Barcelona did these beautiful watercolor illustrations.

They were for her unpublished"O Jardim de Carlos".

These images in mixed media are from "The Red Hat" by Hassan Amekan.  

I was already familiar with his illustrations, they have been selected for honour both at Bologna and at Bratislava.

Last but far from least, Anne Herbauts of Belgium: her work (much of which is done for Casterman) is poetic and innovative, and I look forward to every one of her books! 

See this interview (in French) to hear how she approaches her books:  everything is between one page and another...

Voilà!  These books — and a few others too — have been providing me with a few shimmers of light and warmth, helping me find my way forward inch by inch. Books help a lot!  If by chance any of you have any good books to recommend, do let me know.  I am a bit of an omnivore in my reading habits but just to give you an idea, lately I've been reading and loving The Wild Places (Robert MacFarlane), Dear Genius (the letters of Ursula Nordstrom), Case Histories (Kate Atkinson's whydunnit). Also re-re-re-reading Jane Eyre!

So send your ideas.... and in the meantime, click and look:

•Beatriz Martin -- I'd seen her work at Sàrmede already, happy to discover more of it

•Lydia Crooks -- wispy and poetic paper concoctions

•Boguslaw Sliwinski — ceramics that made me smile