A queen-size bed made of books is the centerpiece of a SALA show resulting from the long-distance collaboration between an Adelaide artist and an American author.

The colourful body of work merges two genres, with Uta Mooney’s acrylic/collage paintings depicting scenes from Glenn Stenson’s books and infused with words from his original manuscripts.

Opening tomorrow at Goolwa’s Signal Point Gallery, The Art of Fiction includes a “hanging forest” of book pages which visitors can walk through.

Beyond the Flame, Uta Mooney.

In addition to the 26 paintings on canvas, the South Australian Living Artists (SALA) Festival exhibition also features an installation piece that is like a bedroom, with a bed made of stacked books and covers created from book pages sewn together, beside tables and lamps made from books, and a bookshelf painted on old doors.

Mooney says she draws inspiration from Stenson’s fiction writing, which explores personal relationships and journeys.

“I love to read and particularly enjoy Glenn’s style of writing.

“The rhythm of his words inspires me to respond with my own imagery.”

Nearly 1500 books donated by the Rotary Club of Mitcham are also used in the exhibition.

Mooney’s friendship with Stenson, who is visiting Australia for the first time for the exhibition opening, began in 2007.  The pair were part of an online community of artists studying Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, which seeks to help people discover (or recover) their creativity.

“Sharing pieces of our lives with each other, we became very close and called each other ‘The Tribe’,” Mooney says.

“The rest of the tribe live in America; most of them in or near Illinois, with a couple on the west coast.”

In 2012, she travelled to the US and spent three months with members of the group, who work in a range of different genres and mediums.

Mooney says the trip opened up new possibilities for her: “My life suddenly changed direction.”

“The tribe members support each other’s endeavours as we share our struggles and accomplishments. We work in different mediums and genres. Some paint, some work with fabric, while another works with collage using handmade papers.

“There are even a couple of writers. One of them, Glenn Stenson, shared with us, chapter by chapter, his journey writing a novel.”

The pair began collaborating, with a successful exhibition at Adelaide’s Gallery M in 2013 encouraging them to work towards a bigger event.

The Reading Chair, Uta Mooney.

In their artists’ statement, Mooney and Stenson say the combination of paintings and installations in The Art of Fiction will give visitors the feeling of being surrounded by art.

“Although the written word exists on a somewhat different plane than art, they both tell a story in their own unique way. Combining the two creative methods adds magical intricacies inviting the audience to a new realm full of ideas to explore.”

The Art of Fiction will be opened tomorrow at Signal Point Gallery, Goolwa, by Solstice Media publisher Amanda Pepe and will continue until August 31. Click here to watch a time-lapse video of the book bed being assembled.

There are more than 610 free exhibitions across South Australia throughout August as part of SALA, with the full program available online.