Just before Christmas, Denise Matthews and her husband Graham travelled to Italy to pick up a prestigious international prize for Book Art that she had won for her book Over The Hill With Annie May. The Libri Mai Mai Visti prize literally means “books never ever seen” in Italian and is only open to books that have never been published. The prize celebrates Book Art – books that in their actual structure are works of art. Book Art is much admired in the rest of Europe but has a smaller, though devoted following in this country. Denise’s achievement is special for many reasons, not least of which is the fact that Over The Hill With Annie May was her first attempt at Book Art. Her creation has just gone on show at The Art Shop & Gallery in Abergavenny.
