All Things Considered

Okido

The art and science magazine Okido, is the brainchild of illustrator Rachel Ortis and designer and scientist, Dr. Sophie Dauvois. This exciting, educational and beautifully illustrated magazine was launched last year and aimed at children aged between two and seven.

Printed on sturdy recycled paper using vegetable inks, the magazine encourages lots of drawing, cutting and entertainment and unlike most other kids magazines printed on flimsy, shiny paper, Okido entices parents to read and play along too.

I've purchased the magazine from Borders in Norwich and if you live in London, there are many other stockists. Click here to finds out where. Alternatively, you can subscribe to Okido on-line. A subscription will buy six issues and the magazine is published every three months.

Rob Ryan

I'm not entirely sure if this has been published yet, but Rob Ryan recently created this book jacket - one of a series - for Louis de Bernieres.

We're already looking forward to Rob's exhibition with us, opening on Saturday 22nd November. We'll be featuring a selection of Rob's prints, some of his ceramic tiles and hopefully a few other goodies.

And Rob has kindly agreed to design our 2008 charity Christmas card.

Last year we raised £1200 for Maggie's Centre and we're hoping to beat that, even if it's just by a few pounds.

We'll aim to have the cards ready in early November with all profits going to charity - not the rather mean contributions made by most High Street stores (this is an enlightening article). We haven't costed this year's card, but in 2007, for each £1.75 card, 75p went to Maggie's.

As soon as Rob has completed the design we'll post details here but if you'd like to receive an e-mail as soon as the cards are launched, please sign up for our e-mail newsletter.

A Tale of 12 Kitchens

I have a weakness for books relating to food. I particularly enjoy books where the author outlines and enthuses about the history or gives a personal connection to each recipe which I guess, is why I am enjoying 'A Tale of 12 Kitchens' by Jake Tilson so much.

Jake is a passionate cook, artist, designer, photographer and typographer. He has put together a book so visually exciting, accompanied with fascinating tales and memories from his childhood with his artist parents and their friends, that it just makes you wish you could produce just a tiny slice of something similar to pass on through the generations.

For anyone who likes food, travel and design then this book will not disappoint. The layout is faultless, vibrant and creative. It seems to weave culture, food, family and places effortlessly.

Jake's book is generally in stock at the gallery but it can definitely be bought from his own website where you can also see images from A Tale of 12 Kitchens as well as further information about the author himself.

The Boudica Within

Last year I read an article called ‘Treasured Chests’ in an issue of The Sunday Times Magazine. The article was promoting a book called ‘The Boudica Within’ which featured the most beautiful, bare and honest photographs of women who had fought breast cancer, faced treatment and who had then gone through reconstruction surgery.

The idea for the book was conceived by Elaine Sassoon, a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, with photographs taken by Andrea Hare, a former patient of Sassoon's. Elaine wanted to show women naked, post re-construction surgery looking beautiful and non-airbrushed. Her aim, to encourage and help other women considering breast reconstruction surgery.

The book can be purchased online from the website The Boudica Within, where all proceeds will go to cancer charities.

This Saturday I will be running the Race for Life here in Norwich, to raise money for Cancer Research. If you would like to sponsor me, that would be fabulous. Simply click here and follow the instructions. In advance - thank you.

Detour: Moleskine Exhibitions

I wish my selection of battered and half used Moleskine books were just a tiny bit as exciting at the ones featured at Detour, an exhibition of thirty three personal Moleskine notebooks of artists, writers, designers and illustrators of international acclaim. Sadly mine are just filled with shopping lists and to-do's that slowly get done.

Over the past two years, Detour has been held in London and New York, and this years exhibition is taking place, right now in Paris at Printemps Design Boutique at the Centre Pompidou, until 19th May. The exhibition will move on next to Berlin and in 2009 it will be in Venice, Istanbul, etc...

There is also MyDetour, where notebook submissions are open to anyone . The chosen books are displayed on-line and off-line in Paris. You can view pages from notebooks on Flickr, or you can look at videos of Detour artists notebooks via YouTube. It's quite addictive - and very inspiring.

If you feel motivated to get illustrating, we sell a variety of Moleskine's at St. Jude's Gallery.

Pop-Up-Brilliance

Over the past four years, I've got quite use to pop-up books, but sadly most of the ones we own are now destructed-pop-up-less books. 

There is one pop-up book which I am very keen to buy but not keen for my girls to re-create in there own hands-on origami style, and this is the brilliantly constructed ABC3D book by French illustrator and designer Marion Bataille. 

This engaging hard back book shows each letter of the alphabet in pop-up form, with some letters changing into others as you turn the page or tip the book. Typographic fans, designers and children will love this book. See the clip below to get the full demo.

ABC3d is available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk, due for release in October.

I'm not one for great organisational skills, but wouldn't this book solve Christmas presents for everyone?

Salt

Since moving to Norfolk we’ve spent lots of time walking the dogs at Morston. For me, the views over the saltmarshes, across the ‘pit’ with the many moored boats, to the shingle of Blakeney Point and its bright blue tea room are the essence of this beautiful coastline. Here land, sea and sky merge - and there’s a lot of sky.

This landscape has been the strongest influence on my own work for the last 10 years and is the setting for "Salt", the first novel by Jeremy Page. Page grew up in Norfolk and he captures perfectly the haunting quality of this beautifully bleak landscape and influence on the character of the inhabitants of this part of the country.

So when Nathan at Penguin emailed me to ask if I’d like to produce a print for the cover artwork, it was the perfect commission.

"Stunningly good. Captures the landscape with a truly deft watercolourist’s touch" Rose Tremain.

“Salt" is published by Penguin. £7.99

Le cool

Le cool is cool.

If you live in one of these busy, energy bursting, cosmopolitan cities, or are perhaps planning on visiting Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Amsterdam, London, Istanbul, Milan, and Roma in the future, then I highly suggest you click here now. 

Once you have signed up, you will receive a weekly, graphical email informing you of some select exhibitions, gigs, clubs, films, restaurants and bars that are going on in your chosen city.

If you would like to see what the Le cool team have sourced for this weeks cultural activities in London, click here.

Also available to buy, is a linen covered red book devoted to each of the above cities.

Julie Arkell

I can't believe I hadn't seen Julie Arkell's work until a few weeks back, when her beautiful dolls jumped out at me from the cover of Embroidery magazine.

The uniqueness of her dolls and creatures lie in her ability to mix medias such as stitch, knit, ephemera, vintage fabric,and papier mache so effortlessly.  She is known as a contemporary folk artist, which conjures up mystical images of fairy tales, folk art and legends  - all perfect when you see her work.

Julie says, "I am able to make pieces that express my feelings, thoughts and ideas, bringing past and present together".

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out where you can buy Julie's work or even where she is exhibiting next. I have also failed to find her website but perhaps she doesn't have one.

Julie has had a book published, simply called Julie Arkell: Home, which features her work and studio. You can buy this from Amazon.

Dunlopera

Published in 1961, Paul Jennings' "Dunlopera" is one of those hard to categorise books that in many respects you just can't imagine being published nowadays. Designed by John Lewis and printed by W.S. Cowell of Ipswich, this history of the works and workings of the Dunlop Rubber Company is illustrated throughout by 24 two colour linocuts from Edward Bawden - all as playful as the example shown here.

Handsomely bound in a red and gold blocked cloth oatmeal cloth cover, from time to time we have a copy for sale at the gallery. Drop us a line if you'd like to know more.