Yule Island launch - Scandi Noir

Online Crime Noir Event

Hosted by The Grove Bookshop

Thursday December 14 at 7PM

Sign up by emailing info@grovebookshop.com

The Grove Bookshop is delighted to welcome international bestselling author and hugely entertaining crime writer Johana Gustawsson for an evening of thrilling conversation about her new crime novel L'île de Yule or Yule Island. Set in Sweden, the book pulls you straight into the darkness of Nordic winter and a place where cosy hygge soon turns into dark horror.

We also welcome David Warriner, Yorkshire lad and award-winning translator for a discussion about his work with Johana translating her Swedish inspired book from French to English; and resident Grove Bookshop artist Sussi Louise Smith whose poem Johana chose for her main character Emma.

YULE ISLAND

By Johana Gustawsson

The queen of French Noir is BACK in Scandinavia

And she is freezing

Author's Note

Storholmen is a car-free island in the Stockholm Archipelago in Sweden. A manor house was built there at the turn of the twentieth century, and rumour has it, it's haunted. It's a five-minute boat ride away from my home, and I'm about to take you there.

Are you ready? Wrap up warm. It's cold outside.

YULE HYGGE in Galleri :Livsmaleri

HYGGE IS BACK in the studio 

Last Open Day of 2023 in Galleri Livsmaleri

Danish hygge, English, any kind you like. If you'd like a taste of the Sussi sort and perhaps dream of picking up some original artwork or a stocking filler Xmas stone... I am your girl or

I am your Nisse, rather. 🧑‍🎄

Loads of little artsy things to touch and feast your eyes on. Don't have to buy anything, just come by and say hi. 

Yule Hygge in the spirit of community and kindness. Sussi's Happy Art Project is not just something I say, I mean it and I live it. Doesn't mean I don't get angry sometimes, or sad, really really sad, but it does mean that I find, that when I art (yes I am using art as a verb, 😜🥰🤣) I am always always brought back to grace and gratitude. I do not sell or present any art that is not made with love. Because I don't have any. 

Come and get a hug, some hygge, an æbleskive and draw a card. Maybe even braid a heart ❤️, 

It's much less painful than it seems  🤣🤣🤣

Galleri Livsmaleri

Sunday Dec 17 from 10-16

9 Belmont road

Ilkley 

Remember warm socks or slippers... and please, if you can, no perfume 🙏 I get so terribly sick

de kærligste julehilsener

Sus

PS There will be a little How to Braid a Heart at 12.30 ❤️ and a make-your-own Xmas card workstation all day. Come get creative with me 🙂 

Between the Spaces - Hardback poetry book illustrated by yours truly

Here it is, the hardback poetry collection by KM Herbert I illustrated.

Isn't it beautiful? If I look ever so slightly wide-eyed it is because... Well, when @km_herbert published this collection a few years back, in the shape of cards, it really truly blew me away, but I have to admit, I have not read the poems for a couple of years. Then this books drops through the letterbox. Hardbacked. Crisp coloured. A weight in my hands, and I read them all again. And I cried. Fractured and rebuilt by the truth and beauty of them.

I am so proud of my interpretations in this book of colour and poetry. And I hope you would love to hold one in your hand too.

I will add a link to the American site and to the British. I Have five copies here in Galleri Livsmaleri that you can buy when you come by for one of my open days 😍 the next one is Oct 22nd. I am also happy to send to the UK

You can order it in North America via Barnes and Noble 

or in the UK via Amazon

#betweenthespaces
#poetry
#Publication
#poetsofinstagram #canadianpoet #Danishartist
#illustrator #illustragram #illustratorsoninstagram
#poetrycommunity #booklovers
#happyday #grateful #instahappy #poetryillustration #artisticpoetry #illustratedbeauty #beautifulwords #artisticexpression #poetrylove #illustratedpoetry #artisticeye #beautifulillustrations #poetrycollection

Open day in Galleri Livsmaleri

    Art and Poetry Busking Open Studio Day

in Galleri Livsmaleri

#sussishappyartproject

Oct 22, 2023

10-15

9 Belmont Road, Ilkley

On this glorious Sunday I open my art studio to the public so you have a chance to browse my latest artworks, watch me paint or commission me to paint a stone for you right there on the spot. 

AND 

I am excited to invite into Galleri Livsmaleri the amazing Molly Ovenden who is both a professional painter and a poet, in fact, you can hire her to write you a poem, right there, whilst you wait. 

Or you can ask me to do you an artstone while you watch and drink buckets of English tea and Danish coffee (also known as: real coffee).

It is going to be ever so Hygge and really good fun. All in the spirit of gratitude and creative expression. Do bring along your kids and puppies. I know it is halloween, but NO spiders!!! Ingen edderkopper.

As most of you know, women in my family are very likely to experience breast cancer and on this day - proceeds from my stone painting busking will go to Breast Cancer Now. 

Kærlig Hilsen

Sussi Louise

We create while you await

Molly Ovenden

As a writer, artist, teacher and creative writing coach, I’m thrilled to support you along your creative journey.

I love circles, coffee, tea, Jesus, running and making creativity a habit.

I’m married to my bearded Englishman carpenter, Max (yes, he has a delicious accent and yes, that’s part of what won me over to be his wife!) and we live in Northern Minnesota, USA.

Sussi Louise

Hejsa, I am Sussi, a Danish artist, creative coach and poet. Since my mum was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer 10 years ago #sussishappyartproject has been my way of helping her and others deal with fear and grief. Telling stories through art.

I love spinning arms sprayed oceans wide, books kindness, coffee and oh how I love the sea the sea.

Love made me move to Ilkley, UK six years ago and I am just about used to the rain now. KIDDING… it’s too much, make it stop, please 😂

More about Molly’s Poetry Busking

What is poetry busking?

It’s literally a street performance. Musicians on street corners, circus acts balancing or all white statues who turn and wink when you put money in their hat–it’s all busking.

When I write poems for people and invite you to hire me to write you a poem and pay via cash or electronically. When I am busking. I sit in a public place with my notebook and Smith Corona Classic 12 typewriter and I write poetry.

Want a poem?
If you want a poem, let me know when you see me. You might have to wait if others are ahead of you, but I’ll try to give you an estimated time. You may also have to wait if I’m deep in the flow of writing. Sometimes the creative parallel universe takes me deep in and I don’t notice someone waiting right away.

Pick a topic:
If you’re not sure what you might want your poem to be about (no worries!) or who you might want it to be for (it’s totally fine to have one just for yourself, though!), I’ll ask you questions to help you pick a topic.

I write. I type. I perform
Then, I’ll write while you wait. Usually this takes somewhere in the range of 15-20 minutes, but sometimes it takes up to 30 minutes. When your poem is finished, I’ll perform it aloud to you and you get the typewritten copy.

You pay for the service of a personalized poem.
When you hire me to write you a poem, you can either pay in cash or electronically on my Buy Me a Coffee link here.

I always want to be clear that when I write poetry for people, I am working. Writing poetry is a significant method that I earn my living as a writer and I am proud that I get to have a really fun and life giving job that is a gift to others. It’s such a privilege.


While you are under no obligation to give money to someone busking, when I write poetry in live settings on my typewriter, I am providing a valuable creative service, and as an artist, I hope people do not take my art for granted.

The holy grail a mermaid's tail and you my shard of brine

The holy grail, a mermaid's tail and you my shard of brine

   

£290

Mounted not framed

This painting is a collaboration between the sea, my mother and me.

And it is pure light

I love it.

I love painting generally but some paintings. The soul. It just soars

A day without painting for me, is like a day without water. I desicaate. Emotionally dehydrate. Wither creatively.

Some days it is a mere five minutes stolen whilst taking time out to go the loooooong way to the bin, others it's 9 hours straight

How do you manage to be creative? Time pirating or excellent time management? And if the latter, how the 🐸 do you do it?

#theartistsway #sussishappyartproject #allthearting #notenoughtime #manifestingmoretime And #manifestingworldpeace #artbysussilouise #creativelife #creativepractice #love #mermaidlife #bluemind #bluemindart #ilkley #danishart #kunstwerk #ilovethesea #protectourseas #oceanprotection

The lighthouse wave

Stepping into the weekend on a wave

Riding the high knowing the low

That's the thing though, isn't it

Waves know how to constantly reinvent themselves 

Reshape

Regroup

Stay true to the task

Hard fluidity

Identifiable but never the same for long

Confucius like

An ocean of habits

Of emotions

Of rituals 

Shaping praying pluralising

It's like that

Horrifically predictable and not at all all at the same time

This is how I painted this lighthouse

I knew the lighthouse

I knew the waves

I knew the blues

I knew not what it would look like

But here we are

The lighthouse of my dreams

Ink on paper

£255

Mounted not framed

DM for more information

#sussishappyartproject #bluemind #bluemindart

#kunstwerk

#kunst

#danskkunst

#danishart

#ilkleyart

#ilkley

#homedecor

#art

#instaart #contemporaryartist #contemporarypainter #worksonpaper #exhibition #artforall #naiveart #holiday #affordableart #doitfortheprocess #thecurators #summer #contemporaryart #interiors #artiststudio #studio

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw7PioTscU9/?igshid=MmU2YjMzNjRlOQ==

The Horrors of Yellow

 

*The Horrors of Yellow*

It is not a little thing, the scream of certain yellows, not to me

Neither is 'that' green I can't even say the name.

This is the flip side of being a person and artist with #synaesthesia 

Some colours give me severe nausea, they both smell and sound like... Primal disgust

It is not fear per se

It is not just disgust

It feels molecular

Made husband dig out bush in garden, by back door. It made too much noise for me to exit or enter without more than courage. I have enough to spend my energy on, this yellow had to go 🤣🤣🤣🤢

And no I am not crazy

Not because of the synaesthesia anyway 😜

But as I was doing some @bethkempton work in @londonwriterssalon this morning - being a badass #fearlesswriter I accidentally flicked on to a page in my notebook from April last year 

A poem about the need to be carefull with yellow. Double FF'ed

Full of carefulness

And I thought... Don't be afraid to change this

Rewrite

Explore how I feel now

Well well

Top picture is today's crawling yellow scribbles

Pic two, below, is the one from last year

I have come a LONG way

And nowhere at all

Ha ha ha

#illustrator

#artbysussilouise 

#notthatyellow 

#yellow #damnyou

#ndbrain 

#neurodiversewriter 

@ellemcnicollofficial by the way is an AMAZING nd writer go buy her books for your kids.

Frayed and Fixed

 

#sussithepoet

#nottheGREATpoetbutapoetnonetheless

One of my very earliest lessons in creative living was from my mother. She was an incredible creative. Always exploring, developing, trying and learning.

And she was harsh in her teachings... No matter what age, if she didn't like my painting or story I'd know about it. I both learnt to take criticism and to fear it ha ha ha. 

HOWEVER

When a total stranger does I appreciate it for what it is - criticism from one's closest is another matter. When I say one's 😜🤣 I mean me. It rips at me and I have to swallow pride along with elephants and stuff NOT to jam myself into a sticky messy old pattern of mum related resistance. And I do that by awareness, I see it, i recognise it, I own it. It's not that I like owning it. It's just... I'm getting old guys, my edges are rounding like my back is and I have learnt that some patterns - they don't leave, better try and live with them. 

HOWEVER 2

She also taught me this... If you do the best you can - at that exact moment then at that exact moment that is the BEST. Don't be ashamed of a #workinprogress there is no such thing as perfect - just hard work, play and best at the time. 

So.

I give you 'Frayed and Fixed'.

I might give you a better version later. But right now, this is it. A stream of thought that came to me walking Alnmouth beach at dawn.

Kærlig hilsen

Sussi

#imperfectionROCKS

All Experience

All experience is part of the path/food for the soul/sparks in the dark/lessons in matter

And we all matter even when we are not/if we are not/as we dissolve/after the meaning went

Meaning can be such a fickle thing/senseless thing/tricky thing/yet sometimes a certain thing

Things are rarely what they seem/how/look/the shapes they form around our tongues/not chaos

Chaos is part of the path/all the paths/winds/promises in motion/unsteady hearts

Hearts in roars/murmurs/songs/waves/oceans

And we all have oceans/we are all oceans/aren’t we

Aren’t we conches/echoes/seeking horizons/chasing horizons/wet

All the ebbs and flows are part of the wave/path/paths/journey

#Sussithepoet

I didn't say GOOD poet, famous, successful or even ok - poet

but a poet nonetheless.

Some things can not easily be expressed in fully formed sentences, all buttoned-up logic and sense, not by me anyway. The point of human life experience is one such multiplicity, it always astounds me how it then can also be so goddamn BORING. Maybe it is just me. It's probably me.