Book arts news

I've been forced into taking things rather quietly lately. The winters in Brisbane are generally pretty mild, but this one has been quite cold. In fact, we've had a very bad flu season, much worse than in the colder cities of Sydney and Melbourne. And I can tell you it's not really a good idea to arrive back after three months away, right into the thick of it! But luckily there's been quite a bit going on in the realm of books without my doing anything much.

Self (States of Change) detail by Amanda Watson-Will

First up, I received word on Monday that my porcelain book Self (States of Change) has been selected for a book arts exhibition in my home town! Well almost. It's actually at Bribie Island Seaside Museum, about 80 kms north of Brisbane. Still, book arts opportunities around Brisbane are rare, and I haven't exhibited any work closer to home than Noosa since 2007. So I am really delighted to be selected for Cover to Cover in October. 

Then, I sold a copy of The Great Library of  Alexandria. Selling work obviously isn't a major reason that I make art. I don't make a huge amount of work, and in the past much of it was ephemeral, so exhibitions and competitions have been my focus. As a consequence, I don't have that much to sell. In truth, selling my work to individuals is something I've never found that comfortable. I worry they won't be happy with their purchase, and for some reason, I feel more confident when an instituion is the buyer. I suspect this is entirely illogical, but feelings often are. Anyway, this week I made a sale, to another book artist whose work I admire greatly. For privacy reasons, I won't say who, but you know who you are, and I say a heartfelt thank-you!

Finally, as if these little successes weren't enough, the letterbox has been supplying me with book art delights, day after day. 

First to arrive, this book, "arbre brume" (misty tree) with its beautiful, atmospheric black and white photos by friend and talented artist Renaud Allirand from France. Some of the photos were also available as prints in his studio/gallery in the Marais when we visited, but the book meant we didn't have to argue over which one to choose!

You may remember that I mentioned meeting Renaud in Paris last year and shared a little book by him here (scroll to the bottom of the post).  

This year I was looking forward to seeing what Renaud had been working on since our last visit. As well as photography, he has been working in ink and had work selected for a prestigious art competition. We were lucky that the exhibition opening was during our visit and Renaud invited us along. Below you can see me standing with him in front of his work. If you'd like to see more of Renaud's work, follow this link.

Renaud Allirand and I, in front of work by Renaud.

I'm participating in Edition 4 of Book*Art*Object (see more here) this year and two books by other artists have arrived already.

Detail from "Dust" by Bertie can der Meij [click on the photo to read the text]

First is Dust, a humorous, serious, clever and beautiful book by Bertie van der Meij. Letterpress printed on handmade paper, bound in a vacuum cleaner bag(!) Bertie deals with the detritus of life and death with great sensitivity and honesty. I love this book more and more every time I pick it up. You can see what Bertie wrote about the book on the BAO blog here and visit her website here.

Gail Stiffe's Pulp Fiction

Next to arrive was Gail Stiffe's Pulp Fiction. This book plays wonderfully with Sarah Bodman's title (Pulp Fiction) literally pulping some pulp fiction to create beautiful thin sheets of paper. A reknowned and talented papermaker, Gail's handmade paper is wonderfully tactile, with pages that are embossed, watermarked and overlaid with coloured pulps and then stitched back into the covers. I love it when craft and concept come together this well in an artwork. You can see more about Gail's work on her website.

Ce que j'ai fait pendant mes vacances by Jac Balmer

Finally, a real surprise! Jac Balmer (another BAO participant) in Lancashire received one of my Wabi Sabi zines earlier in the year and has kindly returned the favour by sending me a copy of her new zine. It's entitled Ce que j'ai fait pendant mes vacances (What I did on my holidays) and is pretty perfect for me, I think! It seems that Jac visited France for her holidays too, and the zine takes the reader on a wonderfully evocative walk through a very French garden. The front cover is a great reproduction of a spiral bound school book and the little book structure is filled with Jac's soft, romantic sketches in (I think) pen, coloured pencil and watercolour. It's quite beautiful, and even though they're not my sketches, it works as a lovely memento of my time in France too. You can see more about Jac's work on her blog.

What a lovely week!

Making “The Great Library”, Part 2

The Inside Continued – Editioning

In last week’s post I had made it as far as a successful proof for the inside of my book object “The Great Library of Alexandria”. You would think that a successful proof would mean that things were sorted, but as soon as I tried to make an edition of the drypoint, I had problems.

As I’ve said before, I’m not experienced in intaglio printmaking, and with a drypoint especially, there is quite a bit of lee-way in how you wipe back the ink. In case you’re not clear, a drypoint works like this.

What is a drypoint exactly? 

* you take a plate (traditionally copper, but also used are zinc, perspex, other plastics and even illustration board coated with wood varnish, as I wrote here)

* and a pointed scribe of some sort (even a nail can be used at a pinch)

* and you draw, creating “a burr” or a raised edge on the plate. It is this which catches the ink for printing in addition to the line you have scribed.

Once your image is done, you cover the plate with ink and wipe it back with tarlatan (a coarsely woven fabric traditionally used by printmakers) using circular movements. Working this way forces the ink down into the line and  burr, while removing it from the surface.

When you print a drypoint, you achieve a very particular type of line. One that to me, is very beautiful. It is soft and fuzzy, yet rich and dark. And the burr is essential to that mark.

The Great Library of Alexandria (detail)

You can imagine that the burr is very fragile, even more so with perspex than say copper. So, as I tried to make my edition of about 12, I was wiping very carefully and also trying to replicate the original plate tone, which had contributed so much to the first proof.

After three or four attempts, none of which were usable, I began to realize that my plate might not last the edition. What to do? The plate was quite large, I didn’t want to start from scratch (no pun intended!).

Digital BFK Rives?

I knew that there is now a digital BFK Rives, produced by Canson. I wondered what the paper was really like, and whether it would be possible to reproduce a scan of the artists proof using it. I decided it was worth a try, and then I remembered that a while ago I bought a Canson inkjet paper sample pack. When I checked, there was a sample of the BFK Rives in the pack, so I downloaded the *free ICC profiles from Canson, pressed print and crossed my fingers.

I was actually stunned by the quality. I had expected to feel that it would be a major compromise to work this way, but in the end, it was such a practical solution for me. I love to work with my hands, and a mouse or even a graphics tablet can never be the same to me. Yet, so often I come up against my practical limitations, and am physically unable to create even a small edition like this without exhausting myself. It seems to me that making the original by hand and editioning it digitally is a good compromise.

*Using free ICC Profiles

Free ICC profiles can be downloaded from the websites of the paper manufacturers. If you’ve bought a fine art quality inkjet paper but found the colours hugely different from the colours on your monitor, using the ICC profile may help. I am planning to write a post about what profiles can and can’t do for you, and how to use them in the next month or so.

Artists books in Paris

 

I took this photo of the sun emerging over the horizon as we flew over inland Australia, heading home. Apart from reducing the image size for uploading, it is completely unaltered or processed.

So now I am back home, settling into a surprisingly cold winter, but I still have more to share about the trip.

When I was in Paris three years ago, I tried to look for artists books. I did some research on the internet and also checked out the Book Arts Newsletter, but only came up with two shop names. The first, as I’ve mentioned previously was Florence Loewy nearby in the Marais (9 rue de Thorigny) and the second is Christophe Daviet-Thery, which is in the 13th arrondissment.

On that trip, by a bit of luck, there was an exhibition of artists books down the road from where I was staying in Montmartre. It was at the Musee d’Art Naif (naive art) at Halle Saint Pierre. The artists books were a student graduation show (not naive art at all) and I’m not really sure why they were in that venue. Anyway, those three were all I was able to track down, even after speaking to the lecturer whose students were participating in that show and who ran a small publishing house for his students’ books.

 

 

This trip I had some more luck. One week-end there was an antiquarian, rare and old book fair in the the square in front of St Sulpice. While the majority of stalls concentrated on the first and rare editions, maps, etchings, lithographs etc,  there were some stalls that had brought along some of their stocks of artists books. There were some beautiful contemporary works by major French publishers of this type of fine edition, which included etched, blind embossed, lithograph and screen printed artists books. As Paris has always been a major site for numerous historic avant-garde movements, there were also some artists books in this category too. However, there was one little old book that won my heart (and despite a hefty price tag) and a place in my suitcase.

The best way to show you is visually.

 

 

The man selling this told me it is a Moroccan prayer book, dated 1729 (when the date is converted to the Gregorian calendar). But it isn’t the usual prayer book from the region, which would be based on the Koran. Instead this is rather heretical, containing incantations for warding off evil spirits, for blessing travellers etc. It is built for carrying on the belt (by the loop) hence its condition isn’t great, but both this, and its subversive contents make it very rare.

I was, of course, entranced, and had to have it. I am interested in showing it to someone knowledgeable in this subject, so if you can help, or suggest someone who could, I’d be very interested to hear from you.

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Beyond the Antiquarian Book Fair, it is my impression that the situation in Paris regarding artists books had changed since 2008. Perhaps I am just looking in the right places this time, but I definitely found a lot more artists books around.

There appears to be three main types of venue.

• Contemporary galleries showing installations, paintings etc but also including a small range of artists books by artists whom they represent (perhaps 30 examples by say, a dozen different artists). You may well stumble upon these, and I’ve learned it is worth asking whether there are any artists books (they are often hidden away).

 

• Next, there are shops entirely devoted to the artists book. They stock contemporary works being published in larger e.g. 500, 1000 or even unlimited editions. In addition, these shops often include multiples and art objects, and perhaps a small exhibition space devoted primarily to smaller-run artists books. In addition to Florence Loewy and Christophe Daviet-Thery, we found (and frequented) Yvon Lambert Bookshop, (108 Rue Vieille du Temple) in the Marais. The bookshop is associated with the gallery of the same name nearby.

 

• Finally there are shops selling old, rare books and/or prints, which can be a goldmine in terms of stocking artists books or objects by well-known artists who were members of particular historic art movements. These tend to be avant-garde movements who produced artists books, such as members of Cobra, the Lettrists, the Situationists and Fluxus. Here I am talking about names like Guy Debord, Asger Jorn, Alison Knowles. A number of these are located on the left bank (6th arrondissment). My favourite was Libtairie Lecointre Drouet (9 rue de Tournon).
  

With all this opportunity, of course, we had to do some purchasing BUT I was very restrained – no, really, I was!! So here’s a little peek at some of my favourite new acquisitions.

 

Title: “sleep on, beloved”

Artist: Yosuke Yamaguchi

See more on the artist’s blog (mostly in Japanese): http://blogs.dion.ne.jp/bonfire/   or his Flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cribas/

This book of beautiful, gouache paintings by Yamaguchi, reproduced at the size of a tabloid newspaper, explores a world of dreamscapes.

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Title: Editions Dilecta

Artist: Anish Kapoor

Kapoor said: “What I am trying to do is paint the interior, my interior.”

I was drawn to the grainy darkness seeping into the white of the page, the contrasting bright colours. But actually, as soon as I saw the marks creeping around the edge of the paper, invading the first opening (first picture) I was entranced.

Sadly, this is not one of the 50 copies signed by the artist.

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Title: RF.22.301

Artist: Rene Fauconnet

A very cool book of genuine typewriter art dating from 1961 (who has a typewriter and the patience to do such a thing these days!). Actually belongs to my dh, but I love it too now!

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Title: Et pourquoi pas l’eternite? (And why not eternity?)

Artist: Renaud Allirand   More here:

Text: Jacques Lesot

This book of moody, semi-abstract ink paintings is by talented printmaker, painter and book artist, Renaud Allirand. Jacques Lesot wrote the text in response to Renaud’s images. Apparently it is rather difficult to penetrate even for a native French speaker, so I am most content to immerse myself in the tiny paintings. (Each is only 7.5cm x 7.5cm).

There are more images of Renaud’s books on his website here.

Caterpillar is to butterfly as book is to ? or Writing an Artist Statement

This week I thought I’d write about the process of developing an artist statement. Instead, you are getting a super-short post as I continue to wrestle with the statement that has to accompany these photos. Together they will soon be off to East Gippsland Art Gallery to be considered for selection for “Books Beyond Words – Books Evolving”.

I wasn’t planning to suggest that I am expert in these matters, although I think I probably face the task with less dread than some artists I know.

The artist statement is crucial if you want to send your work, well, anywhere really. You will be asked for one in any gallery context, and as it will be representing you in your absence, it needs to be good!

So I will definitely put together some information on exactly what an artist statement is, what to include, what not to include and the process I use to write mine. I also have some references on the subject to share.

In the mean time, you could pop along to this site, which has been developed to help the struggling artist to generate their own Critical Response to the Art Product (or CRAP). I was delighted with this pearl which I hope to include somehow!

I'm troubled by how the reductive quality of the sexual signifier notates a participation in the critical dialogue of the 90s.

 

Hmm, maybe not!

Noosa Travelling Scholarship

I heard recently that I’ve been selected as a finalist for the Noosa Travelling Scholarship. I’m really delighted to have be included, and it offers the first opportunity to  exhibit my artists book Judy & the Jacaranda. 

The exhibition will be at Noosa Regional Gallery from July 29 – August 29, although the opening is on August 6 with the “big announcement”.

The application involved submitting a small portfolio of six images of my work and providing a proposal for how I would use the travel.  I’d like to go to the Women’s Studio Workshop, New York state, which offers the rare opportunity of an artists book studio and a ceramic studio under the one roof and collaboration with R & F Encaustics just down the road. Well, a girl’s gotta dream!

The list of finalists is on the gallery website, and there are some impressive names,  both young, up-coming and experienced artists, as you can see. It’s a wonderful opportunity to show with these people and to see their work, and the Noosa Regional Gallery has a special interest in artists books. I’m really excited to be a part of this event.

And for those of you who are part of Book*Art*Object, and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of your very own copy of  Judy & the Jacaranda, I’m pleased to let you know that it’s close…

Where to find me: Recent Publishing

I’ve been lucky enough to have my have my work published twice recently. Doug Spowart re-worked his article from Imprint and it was accepted for the online journal, Bonefolder. The article is a review of the Southern Cross University exhibition last year, where my book Like Weather was selected for acquisition. It includes a lovely shot of my book, taken by Doug. It’s fantastic to have my work included in Bonefolder, as it’s part of the US Book Arts Web, and has an international readership.

The extra benefit of the article being in Bonefolder is that you can access it to read for free online, if you didn’t catch it in Imprint.

I’ve also had some of my ceramic work included in the recently published book by Jeffery B. Snyder, Ceramics Today.

They accepted five images, including the installation work, Wraith, and my porcelain book, Self (States of Change), which has just been in Mackay at the Libris Awards. Unfortunately I haven’t received my copy of the book yet, so I can’t be positive they all made the final cut, but I’m told it’s on page 240.

 

Finally, in case you haven’t noticed the widget in the side-bar, I’ve started Twittering.

I’ve thought a lot about whether or not to join in this silent cacophony, and despite initially despising the idea, in the end I decided that Twitter would be a useful tool for me.

I was convinced by the artists stories I read in The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money. It’s for artists who choose to conduct their careers primarily in the context of the internet, rather than going the traditional gallery route. It explains how to pull together all your online content, get your work out there and (for some, at least) make a living. It seems especially well-suited to the shy, the rebellious and the control-freak. And of course, by default, those who are too tired by 6pm to make it to all those openings in order to “network”.

So… I signed on to Twitter a couple of weeks ago, and began sharing stuff I thought might interest people. As well as providing another means of knowing within seconds when a new blog post hits the ether, I have found it’s a nice way to share the best of those links you come across in the course of your day but which don’t really qualify for a blog post.  I’ve mostly been posting links to inspiring art, art events or opportunities, as well as some about zen and de-stressing. If you’re interested in following you can sign up for Twitter here and find me as amandaw_w . Or not. I won’t offended at all.

Ehon = Artist book in Japanese

I was recently able to borrow this beautiful book entitled Ehon: The Artist and the Book in Japan by Roger S. Keyes, through the inter-library loan system. It came to me from the Sydney library and I hope to buy my own copy one day.

It's a large format book, with beautiful colour illustrations and text descriptions of seventy, yes! 70! Japanese "picture books" dating from 770-2005. The books were exhibited at the New York City Library - can you imagine! There is more information about ehon, the exhibition and the book on the library site, here, here and here.

Keyes' book begins with a 20-odd page introduction, which highlights the most prestigious authors and books, providing some context and discussing what is distinctive about Japanese artists books. This is followed by the presentation of the 70 books, some with several pages of images and/or discussion.

Before I returned the book, I couldn't resist copying a few of my favourite pages to share...




Of course, I don't have permission to do this, and I hope that the copyright holder will view this transgression in the light in which it is intended.

Progress: a bound artists proof at last

This week I managed to complete an artists proof including the binding of my book for the Learning Absences project over on Book*Art*Object.

Woo!hoo! I must say it's a good feeling! I've been working on this as my major project since August, and it's a satisfying feeling to see all the bits and pieces coming together. There are a few tweeks to be done, mostly to account for the loss of a little page space due to the binding. Also I have decided to have a different cover, but basically I am ready to start printing off the pages in multiples now. This will be the biggest edition I have done so far, and I am aiming for 15. This will include pigment inkjet printing, embossing and screenprinting using a screen generated with the gocco printer.

This afternoon I dragged the "light tent" down from the shelf and took some photos of the spreads now that they are bound. I've posted some below, but avoided too much that is new really, just to keep the surprise for those who will be receiving a copy (eventually) as part of the Book*Art*Object exchange. Once everyone has their copy I plan to put a slideshow of the book up online, but till then, here's just a little taster to whet the appetite.

I've included a photo of the colophon for those who are interested in this detail. If you click on it, you'll be able to read the text. I made the decision to put my colophon at the front of the book, rather than the back, as is probably more usual. I thought it interfered with the conclusion of the book a little when placed at the back.

Exploring text as image

Life's been full and as ever, challenging since my last post. I attended an orientation to the facilities at Impress Printmaker's Studio and am now eligible to book time there to use the equipment. It's the same studio I mentioned in previous posts, and they have a UV box for exposing solarplates and a number of presses. I'm quite excited about the possibilities this opens up for me, and the convenience of the studio, being only 10 minutes away from my home is wonderful. I've heard on the grapevine that they are thinking of re-locating to larger premises, which would be good for them but I hope it doesn't happen too soon.

In preparation for my first session at Impress, I am working on images to expose for a book. I've been using Photoshop to experiment with ordering and layout - ah, what a wonderful tool PS can be! Here's a peek at two possible pages - it's just a rough "sketch" .




As well as pages based on imagery, I've been exploring some text-based pages. I love constructivist, dada and futurist art with their use of typography as a graphic element, and of course artists in these movements were the first in the 20th century to produce artists books. This is one of my favourite examples of this type of work.

Ruth Laxson is a book artist who is a great source of inspiration to me. She began her press, Press 63 Plus, at age 63 and established herself as much respected in the field. Her books expressed a real playfulness with text and are reminiscent of concrete poetry.

Playing around with text in Photoshop (which, by the way, makes exploring that kind of artwork so much easier) I have decided that I really want to develop my own style with text. The beauty of the constructivists is that their artwork looks deceptively simple, but that is the way of all good design. Of course, it never is that simple to achieve the dynamism and perfect composition required. Like Ruth Laxson, I hope to make the visual impression of the text echo the sense of the words. I came up with a number of alternatives - the one below is the one I find most satisfying.