  Work in Progress from Sally Chinea. A stitched note pad, and altered book
 A busy month ahead as Lola Swain and Sally Chinea will also be running two book making workshops at Firstsite, Colchester, as part of the Essex Book Festival.
More information is available on the links below. Bookmaking for Adults Create a Secret Treasure Island Bookmaking workshop for children Why choose Lighthousekeeping Jeanette Winterson as a book to respond to? “Lighthousekeeping is a sea story, a love story, a lost story, a life story, a bedtime story and my story... It is a story about telling stories. Jeanette Winterson With it’s beautiful crafted descriptions, we felt Jeanette Winterson’s book Lighthousekeeping lends itself to visual interpretation.. The book resonates with so many aspects of our own lives. With its array of possible starting points, each of us of have responded to a sentence, an image, or thread, using it as inspiration for a ‘new story’ in the form of an artist book. “And it was discovered that every light had a story - no everylight was a story and the flashes themselves were the stories going out over the waves as markers, guides and comfort and warning” Stories are what make our lives - the way we make sense of experience and the world around us. Like the child’s game of Chinese whispers, subtle shifts in each retelling gives space for new interpretations to emerge. Viewing this collection of work is akin to the flashes from the lighthouse moving out from a central point, dispersing and creating a continuous cycle of new stories, new beginnings.  A preliminary 'mock up' from Chris Ruston as she experiments with various book structures as part of her response to Lighthoousekeeping.
 We are delighted Louise Swain will be joining Artbookart at Gallery 70 in March. Having produced the poster for the show, she has sent us this beautiful glimpse of the work she will be exhibiting. None of us are aware of each others responses to Lighthousekeeping so it is a much of a surprise to us as well as to everyone else!  And so it begins... Sally Chinea is getting started on her response to Jeanette Wintersons novel Lighthousekeeping. She says "some may say work in progress, others it's just a post-it note attack!". Either way the novel has been read and the next step is underway. With a myriad of thoughts and possibilities to choose from who knows where it will lead! Stay tuned!  Meanwhile in another part of town, Gwen Simpson is also beginning her piece. A tantalising glimpse of her first ideas combining wire, paper, and watercolour.
We are presently making plans and preparing a group show to be held at Gallery 70, in March. It is good to be involved with the Essex Book Festival again, and be able to bring Artists Books to the festival proceedings. Lola Swain and Sally Chinea will also be offering a book making workshop at Firstsite on Saturday 23rd March. (details here) In keeping with festival theme Secret Waters, we are each creating an artist book inspired by Jeanette Wintersons novel Lighthousekeeping. We haven't revealed our ideas to each other, so it will be interesting to see the various interpretations once they go on display. Details for the show can be found on the poster below.  Gwen Simpson is underway with a 100 day challenge which involves making something each day over the next three months.. Having been thinking about the idea of a "museum to self", this challenge has provided an opportunity to get started by using a dress template. Her aim is to create a 100 pages where each image reflects a significant memory /moment of her life. The development of the project can be viewed here - Gwensimpson.com  Day 4 "Paper dress patterns were an important part of my life, from my early teens I made most of my clothes including my school uniforms".  Day 5 "1965 Kansenji High School, Ndola, Zambia. I am made prefect and no one is more surprised than I am! The prefects wore a different uniform to the rest of the school.Here Nisan actual swatch of fabric that has been preserved in a patchwork quilt I made."  Day 7
"My mother was a talented needle woman who made clothes for the whole family. To supplement the family income she also did dressmaking and alterations. Fabric swatches from one of her dresses". A few samples of what a day marbling can produce! and then to use the papers with a Japanese Stab Binding structure and not forgetting a traditional box  Images by Chris Ruston
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ABAWe are a small group of contemporary artists in Essex (UK) who share a passion for art and books. 
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