 | This may sound unrelated, but read me out. I thought of all this while chatting to the most otherworldly lady on the train from Paris to London. By the end of the trip, she asked if I was living the dream. My twin brother –Yvan– and I are French, but we were born and raised in Mexico, which made us Mexican too. And so, with one foot in each country, and living in London, my brother just got married in France. To take advantage of the trip, I reached out to a few bookshops in the hopes to plan for some reading and signing events for Shine, my first picturebook. I got the most exciting answer from Helen Hancocks, the mastermind behind Shelf Editions, whom I'd met before and with whom we had shared mutual admiration. It would be an exhibition, a workshop and a few readings of the book, if I was up for it. And I was. |
After sorting out a post-wedding covid period, I went up to Lincoln with my brother to set up the show, ready and excited to read Shine to whoever would show up. We got there at 10am on a Friday and I was showing children how to print illustrations with stamps and linocuts by 11am. To our surprise, a stream of visitors popped in and out until 4pm, excited to print, hear about Shine and the little moth, make some collages, as well as ask questions about how it had been made (a blog post behind the process can be read here). There, among a never ending stream of the loveliest human beings, I met Miss Leigh and her children, the most loving family I remember meeting.
The effervescence of the day assigned tasks in the most organic way. By 5pm, Helen and Yvan had finished setting up, sorting snacks and drinks for the evening while I had been getting ink all over my hands – and children's! – and that is what Shine is about. I was surrounded by luminous fireflies, except this time, the leading moth was Yvan and the community-gathering role was Helen's, and her fabulous, welcoming lighthouse that Shelf Editions is. By 9pm, I was surrounded by Helen's community. Not as a protagonist, but as a member. I was home.
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I always try to make stories and technical bits of my work rather short, afraid of talking people's ears off. Not this time. I explained in detail how I had experimented with different printmaking techniques while knowing in the back of my head I would end up screenprinting the book, still learning from all those experiments on the way.
I've only just become an author, and writing is quite a vulnerable position to be in. It also seems to ease the building of bridges with other people's experiences, and so I went on to tell this new gang of mine about the events, feelings and fears that sparked the first draft of Shine, and how a little boy who was afraid to be lifted into the night sky turned into a moth.
I've only just become an author, and writing is quite a vulnerable position to be in. It also seems to ease the building of bridges with other people's experiences, and so I went on to tell this new gang of mine about the events, feelings and fears that sparked the first draft of Shine, and how a little boy who was afraid to be lifted into the night sky turned into a moth.
 |  I have just learned that Shine has been selected at the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show in New York, as well as for the China Shanghai Children's Book Fair exhibition 2024. I attended the SOI show in 2019 right before the pandemic was declared. It was so overwhelmingly moving that it became one of the main reasons why I decided to become an author. And now the little moth in Shine has taken it full circle. |
All of this to say that I met the most incredible lady on the train from Paris to London. Brenda is a volunteer on the Ukrainian front, was a teacher for 17 years and is still in touch with former students who welcome her in their own homes. She also set up a food bank and ran it for several years while asking herself why it was even necessary. I told her about my much less impressive life too, about Shine, the wedding and the then upcoming show in Lincoln, and we talked about overcoming fear. The last thing I heard her say before parting ways was "So, you're living the dream". I said yes. I am.
Bruno Valasse's exhibition 'Stars Only Come Out When it’s Dark' is up at Shelf Editions until the end of September, where he also has prints for sale. 'Shine' is available to buy now, published by Tundra Books.
