Category: Book Making

Book Making, General, Printing, Uncategorized

Following On – 15th August 2022

annwyndean1

The continuing hot weather and going away, again, have both slowed my progress. Even my glue stick was melting in the studio!

I have however completed my 32 page book, see last blog for its beginnings. It had been my original intention to create a bundle, but in the end I felt that the bound pages needed some weight to hold them together, both visually and structurally.

I have never used single sheet binding in a completed book before, I liked the way that, by using this form of binding I was still keeping a strong sense of the individual fragments. I used a variegated cotton thread in tones of red through to black to bind, I decided that the variations of colour softened the haze around the paper and was less harsh than a single tone.

The book is called ‘Fragments of Baroque Silk’

My great tidying up of the studio gave me a problem that I hadn’t foreseen, where to position my large sheet of white paper so that I could photograph my books. After several attempts I got there. Still haven’t found my Blu tack though!

So what next……Currently another book artist, from the other side of the world and I are working through procedures and protocols for a collaboration, more details to follow!

Book Making, Printing

Stepping up a Gear – 25th July 2022

annwyndean1

I have had a few weeks of non creative happenings, however I have been thinking and gardening and visiting friends and going out, so it’s been much enjoyed. But I now feel that I am at last getting back into the swing of printing, book making and following a train of thought. The very hot weather turned my brain to pulp!

I feel that I have lots more ideas to explore around Fragments and Alterations, drawing inspiration from my collection of antique fabrics, there are many stories still to delve into and a journey ahead of me.

When I was a student I can remember being told to scale up a design and so that it would led one into abstraction. My usual size of blind prints has been 2cm, but these I printed are 6cm and I am planning that each will be a page. I had made a sketch in my notebook a few weeks ago that had just come to me from the word bundle, something that I hadn’t done before and will involve one page binding. There will be 32 pages and they should together make a block.

I am working with some beautiful Indian cotton rag paper, it is probably over 300 gsm and very white.

Just need for them to dry before the next stage.

Book Making, Embroidery, Exhibitions

Wanderings – 28th June 2022

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The North Yorkshire Open Studios is now complete, held over two weekends it dominated the beginning of the month. It was most enjoyable and lovey to welcome many people to my studio. Thank you to all that came.

There is always the clean and general tidy up before such an event and I had decided to undertake a major clean and sort out following it and so I did. There were things that I didn’t know that I had! and several things that have given me ideas. So while time consuming it was worthwhile.

I feel a little unfocussed at present with no major themes emerging so I have, as I always do, fall back on my notebooks. I had earlier in the year brought out of my collection a piece of mid C19th hexagonal cotton patchwork and then my son brought me a packet of chocolates from Paris, hexagons again. I have never done a hexagon book or box, so why not.

I made the box template

Then the reducing in size hexagon folds

Then the completed book with a lace embossed side and the other side with painted tissue paper. There is red machine stitching through the middle. The box is covered with painted silk paper a darker shade of grey/blue.

I did take part in the Turn the Page event in Norwich, as part of the TEN exhibition. I was not able to go, but by chance my son was there and took this photograph for me.

I have decided to give myself time to dabble and to pick up miscellaneous ideas and to see where they lead me. I have no events planned at the moment, so it feels good just to wander and to see where I end up.