Category: Guest Articles

 

Wildlife artist Jeremy Paul’s painting of a House sparrow, entitled ‘Blue Door – Rajasthan’ which featured in his exhibition at the Isle Gallery last year is about to go on display in in a major exhibition of wildlife art in America.

It was selected for the highly prestigious ‘Birds in Art’ exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin. (www.lywam.org/birds-in-art)

The annual juried exhibition attracts entries from wildlife artists worldwide and only 90 are selected to be shown out of an entry of over 900 paintings.

This is the 8^th time that a painting by Jeremy has been selected for this annual exhibition which opens on September 6^th.

The painting was inspired by a visit last year to the ‘Blue City’ of Jodhpur in India.

His latest exhibition is now open at The Coach House Gallery in Guernsey and he recently exhibited at the Exhibition of Wildlife Art which took place on The Wirral last month.

His next exhibition here on the Island will be in October next year.

www.jeremypaulwildlifeartist.co.uk

Mapping Hi-Zex Island

On the first day
we viewed the island from above:
a lightning flower flung across the skin of the sea
under the burning eye of the sun.

On the second day, we approached it from the water,
observing aspects of permanence –
three years and four months an island now,
its shape shifting between evening and morning.

On the third day we walked it, measured its synthetic
drumlins, its rope beaches, its tightly woven coves,
weighed the miles of clouded water beneath our feet.
Earth of a kind. Sea of a kind.

On the fourth day we went down to meet
this land mass in its own twilight. Ghost nets reached out
to finger our hair, calling us to the mausoleum
of the island’s rusted underbelly.

On the fifth day, we saw the ocean swarm –
angelfish and rainbow runners twisting through drifts
of polymer confetti that playact as food,
feeding the very body of our island.

The sixth day we spent logging life.
A shore crab. Clams. An albatross in flight
off the western peninsular. We collected old eel traps,
scraps like pastel coloured sharks’ teeth

with which to make a necklace for the children.
We bowed our heads under the weight of that night’s stars.
And when the seventh dawn came,
we saw our work was done.

Discovered by Captain Charles Moore, Hi-Zex Island is made up of fishing gear, nets and buoys believed to have come from the 2011 tsunami that devastated parts of Japan.

 

 

Local Writer Publishes New Novel: Desert Skies, Rebel Souls

A journey into the unknown. A rebellion against family, culture and society. A love against all odds.

From Scandinavia to the Middle East, a young woman travels to discover herself and finds a world of passion and history, war and peace. A whirlwind romance takes a dramatic turn, leaving Olivia caught between countries, belonging nowhere, and with the love of her life in danger far away.

From the award-winning author of The Cosmopolitan Islander comes an uplifting tale of adventure, conflict and reconciliation that never shies away from brutal reality, yet sparkles with the sheer love of life.

Desert Skies, Rebel Souls is a bittersweet coming-of-age story set under the desert sky against the backdrop of music of the nineties and stunning scenery – to be enjoyed by adventurous globetrotters and readers longing to escape.

“Like Olivia, the protagonist, I was in awe of the history and the beauty present everywhere as I travelled through Israel, Jordan and Egypt 20 years ago,” says the author, Michelle P. Tonnesen.

“I hope my new novel will take the readers on an adventure that will stay with them forever. Perhaps this exciting story will help more people appreciate the wonders of this region, and particularly Israel – a country which seems to have everything: sea, mountains, deserts and oases; except peace. Hopefully, readers everywhere will give my second novel a warm welcome!”

The cover illustration and design are by Bruno Cavellec, who also designed the cover of Michelle P. Tonnesen’s debut novel, The Cosmopolitan Islander. “I was delighted to work with Bruno again. He is incredibly talented, and it’s always nice to support my fellow local artists. The lovely cover models are local too.” The book cover was revealed at the recent Manx Litfest.

Desert Skies, Rebel Souls is available soon as paperback from Lexicon Bookshop in Douglas and Bridge Bookshops in Port Erin and Ramsey – or you can order your signed copy directly from the author. It is also available now as e-book and paperback from major online retailers.

Find out more about the author and this exciting new novel at www.mptonnesen.com and @mptonnesen