A pair of artists from across the world have collaborated to create a new book.

Faye Hall, a Winnipeg artist and Malcom Guite, a poet/ priest from the UK were brought together through singer/ songwriter Steve Bell. Hall works in the office of Bell, and Guite is a friend of his, having met him at a C.S. Lewis retreat in England in 2011.

"I started seeing photos of Malcom, whose face is so charismatic I couldn't resist painting him," says Hall.

Hall adds, through painting Guite, and then doing some paintings of his work, he of course noticed her paintings. She says he asked her to collaborate with him on his new book "Seven Whole Days".

"I was thrown back with joy and excitement. This possibility of painting his words, in such a quantity. We did one painting per line of the seven sequences. It has been quite a project. I spent an entire year just doing the paintings." said Hall

Guite says it was interesting to see how another person interpreted his work.

"Poetry is an open thing. It is not meant to have a closed, one set of meanings. It is meant to stimulate creative thoughts in other people," says Guite

"I think an artistic collaboration like this, where you've got two people working in two different media, working together to produce something which is bigger than both of them, is a real way forward for us. I think a lot of contemporary artists get stuck into a rut where it is all about the sort of lonely genius somewhere, in their one strange particular way of seeing this. And artists become, if you like, in a sense, very elite, privatized and individualized. But actually, I think that the best art, like so much of the best other human life and activity, happens when we collaborate and cooperate with each other and learn from each other, and let the ego go a bit and let others interpret with us. I think artistic collaboration is a really refreshing way forward, more generally in the arts." said Guite

The paintings from the book will be featured in an art showing at the Mennonite Heritage Centre Gallery from March 16- May 5, 2018. The book will also be available for purchase.

A book signing with Malcom Guite will take place on April 15th.