About Us
About Story
This is a photograph of Jean Tori’s studio in Umbria. This is where the magic happens! My mother is Jean Tori, an incredibly talented artist who has been painting professionally for the past 55 years.
Our creative collaboration started after teaming up to work on a series of children’s books. Jean now focuses on painting illustrations (she calls it changing careers!), while I (Anthinula) write the stories, and both of us design the books. This is how our start-up adventure began and Jean Tori Design Ltd. was originally created.
Our Projects
We have three books published: Leo's Birthday Adventure, The Wizards and the Whale, and Elliot and the Perfect Wave. The fourth book, Bettina Creates a Garden, will be launched in 2022.
Alongside the books, we’re also developing design products using Jean’s original and pattern-filled artwork. There are lots of projects in the pipeline, so please sign up for our newsletter to be kept informed of the progress, along with new paintings, book launch updates, and design ideas.
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Jean Tori
Jean, a British artist, has being painting since graduating from the Portsmouth College of Art in 1958. After numerous exhibitions in Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, where Jean used to live, she then moved to Italy, where other shows were held in Rome, Bologna, Umbria and Tuscany. Jean paints with Tempera on hand-made Mulberry paper screens and canvases, which she makes herself.
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Anthiunula Tori
Half British and half Italian, Anthinula is a writer and a designer. After living in Asia, London, Austin and Italy, working in filmmaking and design, she now lives in Umbria, where she collaborates with Jean. Along with creating children’s books and following the development of the Jean Tori Design business, Anthinula also writes kitchen-crime mysteries, travel novels and ghost stories.
Artistic Process
Jean’s creative process is a combination of bold imagination, technical skill, vivid use of colour based on colour theory, ability for storytelling, observation and sense of humour.
One of the reasons Jean’s paintings are even more unique is that she makes her own paper canvases. By applying multiple layers of mulberry paper with a water and flour glue (like papier-mâché), drying each layer, she continually builds up the layers, transforming the canvas into a paper screen. This surface also has a rich texture upon which Jean can paint. First of all, however, Jean’s pencil drawings are finalised and then traced onto tracing paper. The pencil tracing is then transferred onto her paper canvas and once in place she then paints using tempera (gouache) that dries mat.
We're in the process of filming both Jean’s paper making and painting process, soon to be viewed on YouTube.
