More Crow Lines

A visual blog today, with some of the amazing images created by equally amazing children.

The exhibition is up in Lismore Library and already had visitors who were really taken by the illustrations and how the children had taken the words of the poems into account.
A fresh approach.
Just lovely. And powerful.

There is a limited edition 28 page booklet available with all the illustrated works, See my website
previous post about this project: school

Three of the Artists at the Exhibition at the Library

Front covers illustrated by the children

Cool cover

Back cover, equally cool!

Crow Lines indeed...

A Performing Crow

Horse in conversation with the crows. Love it!

powerful

I want to fly!

Horse riding crows, where else would you see it?

the back covers with a bit about the individual illustrators

same in more detail

Crow Lines

Well, I didn't think I could swing it... 

But I did.

The illustration project I had started just before getting ill again (see here for more about the school project) is due to be presented to the parents of the pupils of Liosmor Mochuda National School during the Celebration of Books Event on the 14th of June next.

I gave it the title 

Crow Lines

I have the pages printed, the cover for the children to illustrate, designed. 

Tomorrow I will go to the school and be with the children when they illustrate their own cover, 

for their own, hand-bound book.

In the meantime the illustrated poems are being exhibited at Lismore library during the Immrama Festival of Travel Writing.

Please come along if you can and support the young illustrators!

Cover, back and front of the new publication Crow Lines

For those of you who won't be able to see the works "in the flesh" so to speak, 

I have created a limited edition of this book see here

To buy a copy see here

The project in a nutshell:

The poems are a selection of works first exhibited in 2004 at Lismore Library as part of my Fit to Fly exhibition, and were mounted courtesy of Waterford County Library.In 2006 many of these poems were published, in a slightly edited format, in my book Hatched.

During one of my visits to the school to talk about the writing and making of books, I suggested to Ms. England, that maybe the children could illustrate the mounted poems.A re-cycling project I suppose, with the added bonus, as Ms. England suggested, ‘that the children are involved with literature without them knowing it.’

I am not sure who enjoyed this event the most. I certainly came home feeling privileged and elated from spending an hour working with the children. The drawings still give me goose bumps; they  touch me deeply. So does the fact that in a very relaxed manner, I was able to communicate with these wonderful young minds what it is like to have a disability and to live with a long term illness.  I hope that their minds will stay open to view people with a disability in a positive manner.

To put the book-making talk into practice, each of the illustrators were given printed copies of the completed works, a cover to design, and were encouraged to create their own handmade book. I certainly am in awe of this selection of Artist Books created! Many  illustrations bring a smile to my face. I hope they will have the same effect on you.

Many thanks to Ms. England and her wonderful pupils; City Print Cork; and Lismore Library Staff for exhibiting the now illustrated poems again.

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Thanks for your visit!

Hatched poems- "Re-Hatched"

Yesterday I had the fortune to spend an hour in the company of the children at Liosmor Mochuda National school. A date that was planned during my last visit there, just before the Easter Holidays, when I talked about my latest book, and the making of handmade books.

Lucky me!

The background to yesterday's visit.

In 2004 I had an exhibition in Lismore Library (and later at Tramore library) and as part of this there we a selection of mounted poems on show. This was the first time my writing made it into the world outside.

There were approximately 35 poems. Some of these eventually made it, although slightly edited, into my first book Hatched (see above "books"tab).

These mounted poems were lingering in my house for years. I never had the courage to throw them away.

Before my last visit to the school I thought: maybe the poems can be re-hatched with illustrations by the children. This way they get a new lease of life. "The children get to work with literature," as their teacher Ms Mary England said, "without them knowing it."

I explained about the poems, read some out and asked which image would come to mind. Lots of suggestions were offered.

Each child was given one poem and if it was too difficult a poem to understand, or to create an image for, they were given another one.

Ms England and myself walked around the classroom and encouraged the children with their creations.

I walked around with goosebumps all over my body when viewing some of the work being produced. Some turned out funny, clever, heart warming, beautiful, and amazing.

I will photograph them all and make a little booklet out of them and we have a very good chance to have them exhibited at the library again.

I felt honoured to be working with the children. It was worth every available inch of energy!

Thank you all!!

This image is by Graham, he started with drawing the egg on the top left

 and made his way around the page to have the bird hatch. 

After seeing the colourful bird peeping it's head out on the bottom left, 

I said I would be very happy to be this bird. Happy and colourful.

The bird is a cross between an eagle and a peacock. 

What more can I say!

As always it is so nice to know I have your company! 

If you like to comment on any of the above, would you be so kind to write it in the comment box below,

 instead of on Facebook? 

This way other blog visitors can read it too, and I don't miss your comment when I am not logging on to Facebook. Thank you X

Books and children- or is it Children and books?

Earlier today I visited one of my favorite places in Lismore: Liosmor Mochuda National School Oh how much I wish I was a child again, and with that a child enrolled in this two classroom school and had miss England as my teacher...

Alas, I only get to visit this school on an occasional basis- usually to do with books and or reading.
Today was such a day. Lucky me!
I had written to the principal about my latest book Flying on Little Wings and how this book started off as a handmade book. I was invited to come and talk about it!

My aim was to share with the children that books don't necessarily have to look like the books we see in the shops.
I illustrated how Flying on Little Wings came about, I showed them the tiny few centimeter big mock-up with pasted-in images and scribbled-through words. Its follow up with poorly printed pages and still with text undergoing editing.
The final leather bound handmade book was handled with such care, it was lovely to see.
I continued on the theme of books not necessarily looking like books and shared with them the Family Tree book I am still (occasionally) working on, and the 'concertina booklet' I had made a few years ago with images of the "Doors of  Lismore." I was shown their own work in the form of diaries and study projects.

It is so lovely to catch the real attention of a few and see their creative brain working...

As it was "Hotdog-Friday" I stayed for lunch and had the most inspiring chat with a few of the budding writers and artist who were already considering their own publications. "I would love to talk with your  throughout the whole lunch break!" said one of them. Another one loved my book Hatched. She paged through the book with great interest- mostly at the possiblity of combining art and writing. For me that makes for a most rewarding day. To have inspired the possibility of being who you want to be- a writer or an artist? Go for it- don't wait to long! Don't ever give up on your dream!!
Two actually started on their project there and then. How exciting! I can't wait to see the results.

I will be back in the school in May to work with them on a project:
Years before the publication of Hatched  I had an exhibition in the local library and as part of this, there was a series of mounted poems  exhibited (some edited versions made it into Hatched). As I still had these boards, I have asked the children to illustrate the poems with either drawings- paintings- collages or whatever they come up with. I will ask the library if we can exhibit these works before the end of the school year.

I feel so lucky to be able to share my love of writing- art- and nature with fresh young minds.