Illustration: Unadulterated joy courtesy of Oslo illustrator Mari Kanstad Johnsen

Pure. Unadulterated. Joy. That’s what this is. I had a bit of a cringe moment when I re-read the last post we – well, I – wrote about Mari’s work on the site back in 2012, as it was just a mishmash of nice words that didn’t quite do it justice. A trip to her website nearly two years later brought on a similar feeling to that of meeting someone you had met years ago and them telling you they had since had loads of children and won the lottery.

Mari’s new collection of work is beyond incredible, appealing to both adults and children alike with its funny naivety and candy colours, each picture is a layered work of art that is a testament to her ever-increasing skill and confidence with a number of materials. Her new children’s book, The Sudden Cats, was made in collaboration with Helge Torvund and looks to be one of the friendliest, funnest books ever created, and must be purchased immediately.