X was always going to be tricky. After a long break, here’s the latest illustration in my Anglo-Swedish exchange of words collaboration with Eva Hejdström... X is for the Swedish word xerofil, meaning plants and animals that live in dry places. Only Y and Z to go - the end is tantalisingly close, and we have exciting plans for making the completed project into a limited edition book!
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... . . .
Spud U Like
Brilliant session at the Artist’s Book Club at UWE last week - learning about resistance publishing and trying our hands at potato printing. A lot of fun! Many thanks to Csilla Biro and Alyn Smith for organising this. . .
Collage scraps
Finally getting back to working in my sketchbook… collaging scraps from monoprints.
Post-BABE
My table at the Bristol Artist’s Book Event (BABE)
Not a lot of time to look round, but I’m very pleased with my purchases from other book artists
My swap with Eva Hejdström – books good enough to eat
What a brilliant couple of days at the Bristol Artist’s Book Event (BABE) at the Arnolfini at the weekend. So many people, so many talented exhibitors, and a real treat to spend the entire time talking about making books. Very inspiring (and a little bit exhausting). My friend Eva Hejdström came over from Sweden for the event, and we had a great time planning the structure for a book of our exchange of words collaboration (just 3 letters to go now). We also swapped some books, and I most definitely did very well out of that deal. So all done and dusted until 2021 – better get making again soon…
BABE 2019
Very excited to be taking part in the wonderful Bristol Artists’ Book Event (BABE) this coming weekend at the Arnolfini, down at the harbourside in Bristol. More than 80 artists are taking part, and it’s completely free, so come along and say hello. And get inspired - three galleries of bookish loveliness and lots of talks and workshops too. Open 11-6 on saturday and 11-5 on sunday. Can’t wait!
And?
A small edition of books showcasing the wonderful ampersand in all its glory. The structure is called interlocking loops from ‘The Art of the Fold’ - the whole book can be made from just an A3 sheet. I also had a bit of free space left at the bottom of the sheet when I created the artwork, so I added a few more cheeky ampersands to make badges. Both the book and the badges will be available at Bristol Artists’ Book Event (BABE) at the Arnolfini on 30/31 March. And then in my online shop from early April…
Which way up?
Making slipcases for my edition of folded books of arrows. I find my set of key stock (gauged metal bars) really handy for measuring common widths on a production line of books. But I’ve just discovered a new use... weighing down the glued flap on a slipcase while it dries. A small thing, and I know it’s pretty niche, but this has made a fiddly and time consuming task a whole heap easier!
Stitching and head scratching
In spite of expert teaching by Csilla Biro (and patient assistance from Carmen Garaghon) I managed to tie myself in (literal) knots trying to learn a marionette stab binding at last week’s Artists’ Book Club. Never one to be thwarted by a needle and thread, I went away and had another go. Still a bit wonky and the tension is a little uneven, but at least the stitches are in the right place. Very satisfying to stitch as the pattern starts to take shape. Many thanks to Csilla for teaching this tricksy binding. . . .
Dwelling
Cracking print job from printed.com - really good reproduction of the original colours of my letrafilm collages created back in January. In the process of turning these flat sheets into concertina books to be sold at BABE at the Arnolfini in Bristol on 30/31 March…
Transformed into a tiny book
Making tiny pamphlet books of my recent typewriter patterns for the Bristol Artists’ Book Event (BABE) at the Arnolfini on 30/31 March…
Bits and bobs
Collaged bits and bobs from my typing experiments... they remind me of high-rise buildings... now thinking of a typed cityscape concertina book. . .
Step away from the typewriter
Typewriter patterns - becomes quite addictive once you get into the swing of it. . .
Olivetti patterns
Inspired by the wonderful typed patterns in the sketchbooks of Anni Albers at the recent Tate exhibition, I decided to have a dabble myself. Hoping to make a small pamphlet book of the patterns (if my concentration span extends to 16 of them!)
What a star
Making tiny star books for Bristol Artists Book Event (BABE) - running out of weeks so need to ramp up into production line mode. It’ll be at the Arnolfini in Bristol on the weekend of 30/31 March. . . .
Crown binding workshop
I ran a really fun crown binding workshop at the Artists’ Book Club at UWE last week. It’s a Hedi Kyle structure – based on her famous blizzard book folds – although this workshop was based on a simplified version developed by Alisa Golden which is just the spine structure. Thanks to everyone who came along... lots of lovely books made in super-fast time!
W is for...
W is for waftage, meaning transportation through air or water. The latest rubber stamp illustration in my Anglo-Swedish exchange of words collaboration with Eva Hejdstrom.
Frankenstein is on the move...
The exhibition curated by Simon Ryder of Liverpool Book Art is moving this week from Liverpool down to Bristol. Work by 50 artists all created in response to Mary Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ will be on display at Bower Ashton Library at UWE from 1-28 February. I’m gathering together some of my preparatory materials for my embroidered book to take along to a Show & Tell event at the library on Saturday 2 February, 11am - 12.30pm. I’m really looking forward to seeing all the books and hearing more about the exhibitions in Liverpool.
Dwelling
The original package of letrafilm from Sweden
Tiny collages using the stash of letrafilm kindly gifted by Eva Hejdstrom. I’m enjoying working quickly and intuitively at this small scale.
V is for...
A new year, a new letter in my exchange of words with Eva Hejdstrōm. V is for vågig, a Swedish word meaning wavy. . .