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They were for her unpublished"O Jardim de Carlos".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

Dancing kittens, signs of life

This image is by Sora Mizusawa, a Japanese illustrator/artist and one of my flickr friends.

I think it's lovely, don't you?  So fresh!!  

The image was based loosely on this photo which I posted recently on my flickr.  It's my mother as a teenager in Beirut, with one of her innumerable pet cats.  Instantly smitten, Sora wanted to make an illustration inspired by this image and asked my permission to use it as visual reference. He also did this related piece:

As some of you may already know, my mother died a few months ago, and I've left Paris temporarily to be with my family in California. A short time after the funeral, I came upon a box of photos that I'd never seen before—my mama and aunt as young girls, my parents' courtship, the Paris years... I've been scanning and putting them here.  They're a source of inspiration for me too, and a few things are slowly taking form.

Other than that, I'm hanging in there—doing a lot of walking and a lot of reading (of which more soon).  Some things are being painted, and others are being sketched.  I will no doubt scan them one of these days... You'll see!!

PS. To see more of Sora Mizusawa's work, see here: 

website   |   blog   |   flickr   

On my table

Here are a few things that are on and around my table these days...

My new surroundings seem to be having an effect on me.

The crocodiles have come along for the ride, too!

As for Pomelo, well — he always regarded my table as his bed anyway...

Finally, check this out:

I just got word the other day that Beatrice Alemagna is making more of her canvas silhouettes.  

And best of all, she can make one for you (yes, YOU!) if you let her know, too. Just imagine!

Marjolaine Brillant : young illustratrice from Poitou.

Miranda van Dijk : Her "Hidden Memories" are a poetic mélange of leaves and photos.

Never too late...

Hi!  I've been gone for. bit, but I'm back now....

Since the last time I made a sign of life, all has been upheaval here at the Secret Blog™: uprooted at a moment's notice, I now find myself in another place with different dramatis personnae —minus one :-( 

But this is neither the time nor place. Suffice it to say that I have returned, just in time to be the very last person in the world to wish you a very happy new year.  May your imagination blossom and grow!

Like this bird* I will be back before long with news of what I make and what catches my eye.  In the meantime, I leave you with a few things I've noticed lately:

•           Edition 8x8, from paper magician Martin Graf
•           Junko Nakamura : more paper magic (here too)

*PS. This bird image (a monoprint/collage I made last summer in Italy) has been on display at the Museo Zavrel in a group show (curated by Linda Wolfsgruber and Monica Monachesi) based on the theme of Gianni Rodari's stories. It will soon be touring other cities in Italy and elsewhere...

Back from Montreuil

                                                  

I know it's been a bit quiet here lately at the Secret Blog™, but (as I do every year) I've been over in Montreuil at the Salon du livre et de la presse jeunesse.

I will tell you all about it soon. Patience, young grasshoppers.

A très très bientôt...

Ilustrarte

I can now finally reveal these illustrations, which were my participation in this year's Ilustrarte Biennale.

I wanted to make this announcement a few weeks ago, to coincide with Ilustrarte's posting the news of the winners and selections for the exhibition. But then it transpired that my illustrations had vanished into the ether—for over four weeks, nobody knew what had become of them!

Which in turn precipitated a state of DEFCON3 and a flurry of agitated activity to recover them. 
Ça m'a mis dans tout mes états!

But:  HAPPY ENDING!

Lo and behold, yesterday my images were uncovered, mysteriously returned from their month-long sojourn in the 17th dimension. Welcome back!!!

Anyway, congratulations to all the selected illustrators, and a special complimenti to Valerio Vidali and Simone Rea.  And also to the other participants—this list includes such a lot of wonderful artists, it must have been very difficult to choose just 50.  

The exhibit will open in January 2012, in Lisbon, and from there it will go to Ghent (where I hope to see it) and elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this!

PS.  Merci, les filles, for your sympathy and support...

Carnet de croquis

I got to sketch a bit while I was away...

...this is Rugolo, in the hills above Sàrmede (click to see larger).

Go here, to see a few more of my sketches.