Mary and Mark Fleeson formed the Lindisfarne Scriptorium in 1999, we caught up with Mary recently to ask some questions.

Why 'Lindisfarne Scriptorium'?

'Scriptorium' is the Latin name for the place within a monastery where monks copied out sections of the Bible, and liturgies, and produced books for use by the monastery and Churches. The monks would embellish them with intricate patterns and illustrations so they could be used in worship. We are based on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne where there was a monastery whose scribes are
attributed to have created the Lindisfarne Gospels and the works I produce follow the same aim as the monks of past, to further God's Kingdom by using the skills I have to honour Him.

What inspires you to create your work?

My work comes from many sources, some are inspired by dreams, some from a lot of prayer and meditation, some in a flash, some from conversations and some from reading or listening to music. I often write the prayers and poems first and the inspiration for those come in the same way as for the visual aspects of my work. Like most artists I find inspiration everywhere, there is always something to look at in a new way or words of a prayer or poem which I want to share. The Bible is my root inspiration and I aim to only produce work which either illuminates aspects of the Bible or complements its teaching.

Your work is very detailed, what size are the originals and how long do they take to complete?

I produce each original at A4 size. I have always enjoyed working small and attribute my style to the doodling I did at school on my books. When I first began developing the Scriptorium style I was working in our Christian resources shop on the Island and it was convenient to be able to move it out of the way when dealing with a customer. As the pieces take an average of a hundred hours to complete I have a feeling I'd have a lot of unfinished work if they were larger.

What materials and paints do you use?

I use all sorts of materials from watercolours to felt and fibre tip pens, pencil crayons to gel pens. I use a Rotring pen for much of the fine outlining and love experimenting with anything new that comes
onto the market. Over the years I have used quill pens, hair and feather brushes and inks but I find that modern materials give me more flexibility in developing new textures.

How do you combine running the Scriptorium with running a Christian Resources shop?

The simple answer is that our shop is no ordinary shop! Because Holy Island is tidal we have only a few days in a month when the tide makes the Island accessible all day so that gives space most days to do administration or creating new work for the Scriptorium. The Island is very quiet between November and Easter so we usually open by appointment only. I can do the artwork itself in the shop & have set up the desk to accommodate this, working on a piece can often be a good conversation starter and customers are usually interested to see the artist at work! Over 70% of sales are Scriptorium items and the remainder are quite specialist with both books and music focusing on Celtic Christianity, spiritual direction, deeper life and monasticism so we source a lot of products from the U.S. and smaller publishers. We don't aim to be a general Christian bookshop but cater for the pilgrims and retreatants who visit the Island.

A lot of art, including Christian art is expensive, why is your ethos to keep prices affordable?

We have always felt that if God was behind the artwork then it should be made available as widely as possible and overpricing our work would not do that. We recognise that the skills and commitment behind the work should be valued and endeavour to produce the prints at an affordable price. Sometimes I feel I am called to give prayers away and I will produce several thousand freebie mini cards which we distribute at exhibitions and through our shop.

Your book 'Life Journey' has recently been re-printed, do you have plans for another book?

Yes! I am working on a new book but as the last one took two years as I not only wrote it but did all of the design and layout, this one is likely to be at least 12-18 months away.

Other Frequently Asked Questions.

How are the original pieces of artwork created?
An eclectic combination of watercolour paints, pencils, inks and gel pens on A4 (210x 297mm) acid free cartridge paper. Each A4 sized piece takes about 100 hours to complete, worked on over several weeks or months.

What happens when a piece is completed?
The artwork is scanned and the colours checked for accuracy. The checked file is then printed on a high definition colour laser printer to make the prints.

How are the prints packaged?
The prints are supplied in sealed, non distorting cellophane bags with straw board stiffener and an explanatory printed sheet on the reverse.

What sizes of prints are available?
All designs are available in A4 (210x297mm) and some designs are available as A6 (105x148mm) greetings cards.

Are framed prints available from the Scriptorium?
Not at the moment.

Do you undertake commissions?
Mary, our artist says, “I am always interested to hear people’s suggestions and if I use someone’s idea they will receive the first print, however I rarely sell originals as by selling prints more people can obtain my work and share in the message it carries. I see it as part of my calling to make my art as widely available as possible whilst also being a viable professional artist.”