Written and illustrated by Jole Bortoli  “Iria” is a story for all ages. It is a tale about the journey of a creature that inhabits ‘in-between’ worlds:  water and earth, west and east, the written and the oral tradition, the real and the imaginary. It retains the magic of a fairy tale and the beauty of well-crafted art books and is the first publication by INIS, an arts specialized imprint by the new publishing house Art to Heart Books.

The launch of the book will be accompanied by an exhibition of the original illustrations, which are for sale.

Jole is an Italian artist and facilitator who has been living and working in Ireland for the past twenty five years dividing her time between Rockforest, Tubber, Co. Clare and Dublin. She has developed a passion for illustrated books during her extensive experience in working with children and adults through the arts. “I always wanted to write and illustrate stories for adults, stories where words and images offer meaning on many different levels and enrich our existence in many ways”.

“One of the joys of this book is how its maker, divining rod in hand, becomes a conductor for several traditions and cultures. Venice is at the heart of the book, but how apt that this great and ancient trading city state should also be a point of confluence for visual and narrative traditions form gypsy Ireland to Leonardo da Vinci; from Gustav Klimt to mandalas; from Celtic selkies to monastic marginalia. Jole’s gift as colourist is well-known; what may surprise some are the strong graphic features of this book that is at once beautiful and handsome.” Martin Drury at the launch of Iria in The Ark, Dublin on the 22^nd April 2010.

Since 2006 Jole Bortoli has been the director and founder of Art to Heart, an organization that works with children and adults in educational, community and art settings. Art to Heart believes in the arts’ capacity to creatively enhance every individual’s learning potential and development. Over the years Art to Heart has been working, advocating and lobbying for the arts to be given greater significance on the educational agenda, producing and showcasing children’s and adults’ art, and being a resource and network for people working with children through arts.