Imagination Come to Life…

First posted on 11-28-2007

Abby Nolan has had an interest in art as far back as she can remember. Using the knowledge of writing and medieval studies she honed in college, Abby is pursuing her creative bent.

“Rather than follow a specific career path, I chose subjects I was drawn to,” Abby said. The 23-year old recently graduated from Drury University with a degree in English, Writing and French along with strong minors in Medieval Studies and Women’s Studies.

Today, Abby combines her knowledge of ancient arts with modern techniques to produce murals, journals, photos, poems and more. In fact, her blog describes her as “an alchemist of words, images, and leaves of pages.”

Her interest in bookmaking led her to produce the journals seen in some of the photos accompanying this article. Abby said she was introduced to the techniques while attending a class at Drury. That project had Abby cutting her own quills, making her own ink and paper and discovering the details of assembling and binding books.

Expanding on her formal education, Abby said she likes to use old maps, interesting photos and word plays to complete her creations. Her love of paper and tactile expression make bookmaking an art form for Abby.

“Different textures, leather skins, wallpaper and other remnant pieces can all make good materials for book making,” Abby said. The choice of materials allows Abby to create one-of-a-kind pieces that can also be personalized for each individual. She especially enjoys creating collages that include a narrative or poetry to enhance the visual affect.

Again using her knowledge of medieval times along with a bit of whimsy, Abby decided to take on a wall mural project when one of her friends approached her about a unique painting for her daughter’s room.

“I thought it was something I could do, so I tried it,” Abby said. She painted a forest, added a road and included several surprises. “You have to look closely to see some of the extra features,” Abby said. One of those surprises came about when her customer asked Abby what was at the end of the road. “A castle,” Abby replied. And she proceeded to include the feature, which is about four inches wide but stands proudly in the distance at the end of the road.

Abby is looking forward to painting windows on walls at some point. “Views of Parisian cafes or Tuscan hills” to warm a room.

When she isn’t creating books and paintings, Abby enjoys traveling. She and her husband, Greg, have recently visited England and France as well as North Carolina and Tennessee. “I just can’t get enough traveling,” Abby says as she ticks off a long list of places she would like to visit in the coming years. She said she finds ideas everywhere she goes and keeps a folder of photographs – buildings, architecture, windows – that may end up inspiring a book design or mural or some other art medium in the future.

Abby is also an avid reader, mostly historical books, but her interests vary widely and she said she likes to read “most anything.” She and Greg play tennis, volleyball and she continues to pursue writing and painting (both oil and watercolor) as time permits.

Though her travels lead her to new destinations, Abby is a native of Aurora and has lived in the southwest Missouri community all her life. Her father is a manager at Ozark Electric and her mother works as a secretary at the Presbyterian Church in town.

There are more photos of Abby’s work in the photo gallery.

You can also get more information and even order some of her books online at her blog: travelingchariot.blogspot.com.