Chinese thread books

Excellent online workshop by Gen Harrison last week for the ABC group at UWE – learning how to make a version of a Chinese thread book (Zhen Xian Bao). Layers of compartments in one small book structure. Boxes within a book. Mine was a bit clunky, despite the expert tuition, but it was so great to be making again. Many thanks Gen!

Following on from the online workshop, I made another Chinese thread book (Zhen Xian Bao) so I don’t forget how to do it. A bit less wonky than my first attempt, and fun to decorate the paper with rubber stamps...

Keep cutting

I really enjoyed the online Collage Colloquium hosted last month by the Centre for Fine Print Research at UWE and the London Centre for Book Arts. There were filmed talks by Jeremy Dixon, Jean McEwan, Daniel Lehan and Jeff Rathermel, followed by two discussion sessions with all the artists. Very inspiring, and the talks and discussions can still be accessed here. I jotted down some quotes from each of the artists during their talks, and then in the time between discussions I made them into a small single-sheet book using collage, letrafilm and typewritten text. I made this as a memento of the event for myself, but then decided to make a small digitally printed edition for the participants and other people I know who work with collage. Quite fun to make a book so quickly and to turn it into an edition without over-thinking it too much.

Lockdown – A Pocket Manifesto

I’m pleased to announce that a small edition of my new book ‘Lockdown – A Pocket Manifesto’ is now available in my online shop.

It’s digitally printed (thanks to printed.com) from my original hand-carved rubber stamp illustrations on 150gsm fresco gesso paper. It costs £6 (+p+p) and £5 from each sale will go to Bristol North West Food Bank, who really do need all the help they can get right now. The original book was made for a mail art project for Artists Book Club (ABC) at UWE and was inspired by all the things I identified as being important to focus on at the beginning of the Lockdown...

A tiny new book

The Artists’ Book Club (ABC) at UWE set a Mail Art challenge to keep members connected during Lockdown. I made a small folded single-sheet book with rubber stamps to send to letterpress artist extraordinaire Gen Harrison up in Scotland. Sneak peeks here, and a shop update with a printed edition of the final book will follow early next week…

Workshop coming up!

Printing patterned papers and making folded books as examples to show at a one day workshop I’m running at ACEarts in Somerton in Somerset on Saturday 27 April (10 -4). We’ll be stamping our own patterned papers, then using them to make a collection of small folded books. Should be fun! Just a few places left, so get in touch with ACEarts if you’re interested in joining me... . . .

Star book

Another great Artist’s Book Club (ABC) at UWE yesterday. Many thanks to Alyn and Csilla for teaching the rather festive star book structure – deceptively simple once all the folding is complete. Looking forward to making a few more of these to get the hang of it properly. . .

Book trees

I’ve turned a small stack of 1960’s Pelican paperbacks into folded Christmas trees, topped with origami gold stars. The books were being thrown out by my Dad and are all on social work theory - a mighty festive subject matter. Ho ho ho. These will be on sale at the Made in Bristol gift fair at the Colston Hall on Saturday 8 December. Do come along and say hello if you’re in Bristol this weekend…

New folds

Starting to work my way through 'Woven and Interlocking Book Structures' by Claire Van Vliet and Elizabeth Steiner. I'm keen to learn some different book structures to get me out of my concertina book comfort zone. These first three are variations on a format called 'Aunt Sallie's Lament'… linking individual pages with a long woven strip. A perfect opportunity for some rubber stamping too, to bring some pattern into the proceedings.