General News
18 March, 2021
Artist collaboration sparks friendship
AN opportunity to collaborate for the release of an upcoming novel has helped two south west artists form a friendship based on a shared love of their country town.
AN opportunity to collaborate for the release of an upcoming novel has helped two south west artists form a friendship based on a shared love of their country town.
Writer Mickey Martin, who grew up in Glenormiston South and attended Terang College, recently penned her fifth novel titled Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South.
She said the fantasy romance novel touches on overarching themes of good and evil and has been set in her hometown to help draw attention to the area she felt so passionate towards.
“I wanted to put Glenormiston on the map because I love my home town,” she said.
“I want people in Melbourne or overseas to pick this up and become curious, to search for Glenormiston or even for people who know the town to feel pride.”
At a time when she was beginning to consider possibilities for the cover art, Ms Martin said a local friend had shown her a painting of Black’s Gates which fellow Glenormiston South artist Jess Fowler had recently completed.
“I just knew she had to be the artist to create the perfect cover for my book,” she said.
“I reached out to Jess to see if she would be interested in doing the cover because I knew we had to do this.”
Not one to turn down a challenge, Ms Fowler jumped at the opportunity to lend her talents to the project which will mark her first time designing the cover art for a book.
“What we’re working on is very much revolving around the idea of the good and evil, how they interact and how, hopefully one day, the good is going to overcome,” she said.
“I’m working on some ideas of aspects of the book relating to the characters but very much keeping the area and the landmarks which are so woven in to the story.
“I’m hoping I can keep it all within the artwork, for locals to recognise locations they are familiar with and become invested in the story before they even pick up the book.”
The pair spent months talking online, sharing their ideas and working to create a cover which compliments each artist and the aesthetic of the region – during which time, the foundations of a friendship began to emerge.
The pair met last weekend for a discussion on the preliminary designs, and the connection between the two grew along with the strength of the cover.
“It’s very rare you get to build these friendships,” Ms Fowler said.
“From a visual artist point of view, when you are commissioned it is a big help if you get along with the person you’re going to be working with because there is a lot of compromise to create something everyone is happy with.
“I’m so happy to work with this girl. When she came through the front gate it was like seeing an old friend.
“We’ll have that forever now, which is special.”
Ms Martin said the emerging friendship was a beautiful thing.
“We both love the area, we’re both mothers and we have just connected so well,” she said.
“We’ve connected on our love for the area and being genuine people.
“We’ve hit it off and I feel like I’ve known Jess for years.”
Ms Martin said she had completed the novel in just 39 days and the early feedback process had been overwhelmingly positive.
“I went hell for leather. I even did a 19 hour stint at one point,” she said.
Ms Fowler said she had read the manuscript and loved the novel.
“The story which she has come up with is incredible,” she said.
“I just couldn’t put it down. I think I read it in about three hours and it was just awesome.”
Soul Keepers of Glenormiston South is scheduled for release in November this year.