Artist Nesbit’s book adventure

After more than 40 years of art – including a long association with the School of Art and Design at Mandela University – artist Ruth Nesbit has ventured into writing and illustrating a children’s book, The Paper Boat Story, a series of adventures, which she started seven years ago.

Nesbit says the first book was published this month in more than 20 e-book stores, including iTunes, Apple and Amazon.

She is also working on stained glass commissions and last month exhibited prints at the GFI Art Gallery in Port Elizabeth.

“When I started the first book, The Paper Boat Story, my granddaughter, Sarah, was only five months old. She had a stuffed giraffe, which, when we went for walks on the beach would always go missing, but fortunately friends picked him up and we would miraculously be reunited!
“That’s when Gofree the giraffe, one of the three main characters in the book, was born. Writing and illustrating this children’s adventure became something I could do while taking care of my husband, Hunter [who was suffering with Alzheimers, at the time]. I wish he could have seen the finished book,” Nesbit said.

“Currently I have six more Paper Boat Story adventures books ready, illustrated and written, to be released soon. The next challenge is audio books and animation.” The hardcopy will be out in July. “The Paper Boat Story is about friendship, resilience and learning to pick yourself up when you fall, which are the lessons we try to teach our children, and ourselves!” Nesbit said.

“The Paper Boat Story motivated my granddaughter, Sarah, aged seven, to write her own book titled Millie and Mum Visit the Pet Shop and she ‘commissioned’ me to do the illustrations while I was in England last year . . . it was a lot of fun working together.” It will be published soon. “From the cover of the book you can see there is deeper meaning behind the illustrations. The Paper Boat is made from newspaper cuttings, such as save the rhino, global warming and parenting, which could spark curiosity in children on another level.”

Through her illustrations Nesbit believes that her books can be used to teach children to look at events and encounters from another perspective.

For more information visit her website, ruthalicenesbit.com