Lovely end to the year to return home from Christmas travels to find the new edition of Uppercase magazine waiting. Thrilled to bits that my Anglo-Swedish exchange of words collaboration with Eva Hejdstrōm is featured in this tenth anniversary issue. We’re currently up to V in the alphabet, so on the home strait now. It’s been such a fun project to work on together... the pure opposite of the absolute nonsense of Brexit. Here’s wishing everyone a very happy and creative 2019!
Season's greetings
Winding down for a festive break at last. Thought I’d end the year as I started it with a final collage from the mouse-chewed magazine I found in my garage. Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas!
U is for...
Umbratic, meaning shadowy. The latest rubber stamp illustration in my Anglo-Swedish exchange of Words with Eva Hejdstrom.
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. . .
Sneak peek
Rarely this tidy…
… usually this cluttered
I’ve been interviewed by Bryony Morgan for the Made in Bristol blog ahead of the Gift Fair at the Colston Hall this weekend. See here for more photos and my pontifications on the delights of making books. Full disclosure: my studio is rarely as tidy as shown in the top photo, but nice to capture a moment in time when I actually had some clear space to work! Didn’t last long.
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…
This way up
Starting work on a new book… inspired by the amazing Franklin fold in ‘The Art of the Fold’ (by Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol). It’s a 16-page small book folded from one sheet. I’ve wanted to make something based around arrows on packaging for longer than I care to admit (it’s decades, not just years!) and this is finally it. The aim is that the book can be read in either directions - This Way Up or This Way Down depending on which way round you’re looking at it. I’ve had some flat sheets printed up onto Kraft paper to make some prototypes, and it’s shaping up well. Some minor tweaks needed, and there’s a secret fold-out section in the centre section that I’ve only just found, so room for a few more cheeky arrows. This is one of a number of new books I’m hoping to have ready for BABE (Bristol Artist’s Book Event) next Spring… date for your diary - 30/31 March 2019 at the Arnolfini in Bristol.
Way out in production-linesville
Running out of space in my studio right now…
Getting inky… rollering paper for wrappers for my ‘Fiery Words’ matchbox books.
An oldie but goodie - more ‘Pot Plants’ taking shape
A new batch of my double concertina book ‘Forest’ - now reproduced at the same size as the original, and printed onto gesso paper (more texture and less shiny than the original print run)
With the Made in Bristol Christmas Fair coming up on 8 December, I’m in full-on production line mode, making new batches of many of my books. It’s a little chaotic at the moment, but I love that tipping point when it moves from lots of component parts to neat piles of finished books.
to and fro
Two collections of books - the first is a box of my small books headed to the Small Publishers Fair in London earlier this month (many thanks to Sarah Bodman at UWE for chaperoning them). For the first time I went along to the fair, and spent a wonderful few hours perusing and talking about books with lots of interesting similarly biblio-minded folk. The second photo is my modest haul of new books photographed on the train table on the way home (any colour coordination is purely coincidental!) Beautiful publications by Anwyl Cooper-Willis, Daniel Lehan, Philippa Wood of Caseroom Press and Lee Shearman of Micro Library Books.
Spreading the book-ish word
Some lovely photos from artist Carmen Garaghon’s residency trip to Rajasthan in India. She came along to the folded book workshop Cathey Webb and I ran at the MakeSpace at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery back in August, and now has been teaching the trouser book (with folded cover) format to people she’s met out in India. She’s planning on leaving behind her stamps and rollers in the hope that they can set up their own book making collective. Very exciting! You can find out more about Carmen’s travels on Instagram (@carmengaraghon)
T is for...
Latest rubber stamp illustration in my exchange of words with Eva Hejdstrom - T is for tjuvlyssna, a Swedish word meaning eavesdropping.
Patterned paper and folded books
Really fun afternoon in mid-October running a workshop in Church Stretton in Shropshire. Creating patterned papers with foam blocks on sugar paper, then making two single sheet books with patterned covers. We made a snake book, and then a pocket accordion (thanks to Hedi Kyle and Ulla Warchol for their amazing book ‘The Art of the Fold’ for the instructions for a separate cover - worked a treat!) A very creative bunch, and it was really interesting to see all the different patterns that were created. Many thanks to Kate Johnson for arranging the workshop.
Found collages
Finally finding time to return to my collage project using paper rescued from the recycling box. The final box of collages will form part of my submission for the ‘Found’ exhibition at UWE in December.
Home in Athens
Really pleased to see my ‘Home’ pocket concertina book as part of Interruptions - an exhibition of prints and artists' books curated by Sarah Bodman and Elena Zeppou, at the invitation of the Greek Printmakers Association (E.E.X.) for Athens Print Fest “18” 4th edition – nóstos / nostalgia. It’s at the Felios Foundation in Athens, Greece, and runs from 3 -27 October 2018. If a trip to Greece is not on the cards, you can always browse a pdf exhibition catalogue here.
At long last...
It’s been a tricky project to work on… lots of unforeseen technical hitches, but my edition of 15 small Frankenstein books is finally complete. Digitally printed versions of my embroidered illustrations, with hand-detailed frames and an accompanying extract from the original text with each one. The books have vintage endpapers and cloth-covered hard covers with laser foiled belly bands. Some are already spoken for, but there are now five available in my online shop. Just £20 each, so snap one up while you can if embroidered dead people are your thing...
S is for…
Latest rubber stamp illustration in my Anglo-Swedish ‘exchange of words’ collaboration with Eva Hejdstrom ... S is for scission - the action or state of cutting or being cut. The more I do of these, the more I like the wonkier registration, and the use of negative space seems to becoming a bit of a thing.
Dougie
Today marks the centenary of the death of my great great uncle, killed in action in the First World War. John Douglas Robertson, known as Dougie, was born in Reedsmouth in Northumberland in 1898, and was just 19 years old when he died on a battlefield in northern France. The middle name Douglas has subsequently been carried by my granny (born just two weeks after he died), my father and my nephew. I visited his grave in 2007, and was touched by an inscription I read in the cemetery: ‘To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die’ (from a poem called Hallowed Ground by Thomas Campbell). I have been gathering material for a small book to commemorate his life... I’m starting work on it today, and I hope to complete it by Armistice Day. Gone but most definitely not forgotten.
R is for...
R is for 'rivning' meaning demolition in Swedish. The latest rubber stamp illustration in my 'exchange of words' collaboration with Eva Hejdstrom.
The most bookish of days
Many thanks to everyone who came along to the Make Space at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery yesterday. Cathey Webb and I had a busy and brilliant time teaching, exhibiting, selling and enthusiastically chatting about books all day. A real pleasure! Thanks also to @bristolmuseums for organising the Make Space programme alongside the Woman’s Hour Craft Prize exhibition - it’s been an inspiring showcase of local creative talent... it’s running until 2 Sept, so catch it while you can...
Make Space
A box of book samples all ready to take along to the Make Space at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery tomorrow (23 August). If you’re in Bristol, come along and join @catheywebb and I for lots of bookish inspiration. We'll be teaching how to make five different single-sheet books, and you can also see (and buy) books we've made. Should be fun... The Make Space programme is running alongside the Woman’s Hour Craft Prize exhibition until 2 September, and is open daily 10.40 - 4.30. Find out more at www.bristolmuseums.org.uk