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Posts Tagged ‘bookbinding’

  1. Horizon: Online Catalog

    March 5, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    Flatland-ErinFletcher

    After waiting patiently for months, the catalog for the Guild of Book Workers Traveling Exhibition: Horizon is now online!! I am so honored to be apart of this show, exhibiting with other binders and book artists whom I respect. Here are a few of my favorites from the show:

    1. I love the dyed goatskin and layered elements which include painted lizard on Coleen Curry’s Tamalpais Walking
    2. I am always amazed by the work of Mark Esser. His craftsmanship is always executed perfectly: William Anthony, Fine Binder
    3. Ever since I visited Karen Hanmer at her home bindery where she graciously allowed me to handle her work, this book has been one of my favorites: Horizons… Capri
    4. Horizon, Where Earth Meets Sky bound by Priscilla Spitler, whom I believe is one of the best at executing pictorial designs out of leather and other materials
    5. 42nd Parallel bound by Wendy Withrow is such an elegantly designed book on a theme we can all relate

    I also had the delight of being exhibited alongside three of my classmates from North Bennet Street School:
    1. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions bound by Erin Fletcher (that’s me)
    2. The Silmarillion bound by Heather Bain
    3. Dance of Death bound by Samuel Feinstein
    4. Hiroshima bound by Rebecca Koch

  2. My Hand: Skype Workshop with Benjamin Elbel

    March 4, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    shrigley2-erinfletcher

    When I was presented with the challenge of binding a book for a set of photography prints that would need to open flat, I sent my former instructor, Jeff Altepeter, an email to help me brainstorm. After discussing a few options, I received another email from Jeff showcasing the upcoming workshops at BINDING re:DEFINED. All of the workshops looked intriguing, but Benjamin Elbel’s Onion Skin Binding and The Shrigley appeared to be suitable solutions for my current project.

    My only problem was being in Boston and wanting to take a workshop in England. I contacted Benjamin through the help of Lori Sauer (who runs BINDING re:DEFINED and will be featured on my blog through the month of March). Benjamin and I decided to experiment and run the workshop through Skype (a recent topic of interest on the Book Arts Listserv).

    The workshop was based on The Shrigley structure and ran for 2.5 hours over 2 Skype sessions. The initial session was half an hour long. During this time I received instruction on creating the folded frames and cutting the corners. Benjamin had a camera set-up directly over his workspace and it was incredibly easy to see what he was doing. Our connection never lagged and the video image stayed clear, making it easy for me to read any measurements or notes that Benjamin jotted down. 

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    During our second session, Benjamin walked me through the sewing and a simple hardcover case to house the frames. We did a pamphlet stitch to connect the frames in a concertina style. The case was constructed with two pieces of millboard and a thin, flexible spine piece covered in cloth. Ribbon was inserted into the boards to aid in the closure of the book.

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    Once the cloth lining was pasted in, the frames could be fixed to the case. Overall, I think the workshop was successful. It was easy for me to follow Benjamin’s instruction. However I had made a mistake while folding my frames, which I didn’t realize until the near end of the workshop. In hindsight, we discussed the importance of reviewing my work before proceeding to the next step. In order to do this with the built-in camera I was using on my laptop, I would have to hover my work in front of the camera and move it around so Benjamin could assess what I had done. 

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    I think performing workshops through an online interactive video platform such as Skype or Google Hangout could serve as a viable way for bookbinders to connect and spread their teachings further through the community. There are still some kinks that need to be worked out. I know within the Listserv there has been some discussion regarding this topic, but I would love to hear your opinions and whether you’ve been on either end of an interactive video workshop.

  3. Bookbinder of the Month: Lori Sauer

    March 3, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    kyffin1-lorisauer

    Kyffin: A Celebration is a collection of essays about the Welsh artist Kyffin Williams. This book was published and letterpress printed by Gwas Gregynog Press (2007) in a limited edition containing linocut prints from the artist. Production began with the artist’s collaboration, but Kyffin died before its completion. In 2008, Lori Sauer bound a copy of this book as a modified sewn-board binding. 

    The boards are covered in embossed vellum that is drummed on and the spine is shaped from black African hardwood. Doublures and flyleaves are Fabriano Roma in black and blue/grey, the colours of the linocuts.

    Lori wrote me a few words regarding her concept for the cover design.
    Illustrated books present the challenge of how to design the cover, especially this one with such strong images. I never want to imitate the artist or transfer their work to the outside. My aim is to be complimentary and pick up on ideas of tone and intent. In this case the binding uses the colours of the text and the texture of author’s medium.

  4. March // Bookbinder of the Month: Lori Sauer

    March 1, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    garden1-lorisauer

    The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng was bound for the Man Booker Prize in 2012 by Lori Sauer. This copy was published by Mrymidon Books Ltd. and is a story about a Malaysian woman who reflects on her apprenticeship with a Japanese gardener during her younger years. This takes place during The Malaysian Emergency, a time of civil war after WWII. Political and personal struggles dominate a narrative that is set against the backdrop of the creation of a garden in the highlands of Malaysia.

    I asked Lori to provide a description of the binding, along with her concept for the design.
    The binding is covered in reverse vellum dyed with acrylic ink and embossed with blind lines. The structure is a simplified binding that is made in 3 pieces. It has under lays of paste paper on the fore-edges and Japanese paper doublures and flyleaves.

    I used many shades of green on the binding, for obvious reasons. The design happened as I worked while I kept in mind the idea of ‘borrowed scenery’ an axiom of Japanese garden design.

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    Lori works both independently as a bookbinder and as an instructor, teaching her innovative structures to students with a wide range of artistic backgrounds. Check out the interview after the jump to find out how Lori got into bookbinding and come back every Sunday this month for more work by Lori.

    For a number of years you worked in publishing before studying bookbinding at The City Lit in London. Can you talk about your path into bookbinding and the training you received through The City Lit.
    I was working in London at The Poetry Society when I decided I needed a change in direction – back to doing something creative with my hands. I had always drawn and painted and ‘made’ things. A writer friend made a casual remark about having some things bound by the local bookbinder and the idea was planted in my head to find out more about this subject. My job was just 4 days a week so on my free day I enrolled for an adult ed. class at the City Lit. By the second class I was hooked and in time added evening classes and a second day at the then London College of Printing.

    My tutors were Sally Lou Smith and David Sellars, who was himself taught by Lou. I couldn’t have wished for better teachers and the exacting standards they required. I attended for three or four years before feeling I was ready to set up on my own. I continued to receive tuition in specialised workshops and by pestering established binders with many questions.

    In retrospect I can see that the things I had done since I was a small child all pointed to the place I’m in now. Apart from constantly making marks on paper, I loved to build things, from a split-level house for my trolls (with all the furniture) to forts in the woods. I studied architecture for a short time in university before switching disciplines to painting and photography. Binding books has turned out to be a perfect medium where I can combine my love of literature, visual interests and building 3D objects. I used to feel I lacked focus and couldn’t settle on what I wanted to do. Now I understand I was doing related and intertwined activities all along.

    I’ve noticed that you frequently use vellum as the covering material for your bindings. What are your reasons for favoring this material and can you talk about the struggles or favorable techniques you’ve encountered from working with what can sometimes be a tricky material.
    Leather is wonderful to work with and I enjoyed using it on my earlier bindings. Gradually it lost its appeal as a material to cover the entire book, it didn’t posses the surface I wanted. I don’t remember exactly when or how I decided to start using vellum but I quickly became very fond of it. The skins’ markings are all different and I find myself endlessly drawn to their variations. I now often begin with a white skin and colour it to suit. I enjoy experimenting with dyes and get some surprising and interesting results.

    I have never found it difficult to work with and I put this down to the vellum itself. My supplier is based in The Netherlands and his vellum is lovely, not too much pull and he has a big stock to choose from. By using different structures or covering the boards off the book I can avoid the large joint needed for a full vellum binding (I don’t like the way it looks).

    I have used reversed vellum on my last few pieces, which gives the benefit of the slightly fuzzy underside, making the book very tactile. Along with the superior strength of vellum, as opposed to leather, it has a historic record of lasting for centuries and maintaining its beautiful characteristics.

    Your minimal designs yield a sense of thoughtfulness to the text and materials. In addition to your individualistic design is your unique binding style. I’m particularly attracted to the rigid, shaped spine of Kyffin: A Celebration and The Life and Chapters of Sundry Goodly Sayings and the Techniques of Brother Giles, Companion of Saint Francis. Is this a structure you developed? What are the features of its construction that you find appealing?
    Both of these bindings use a structure I developed and although each is done with slight variations they are similar. It’s a modification of the sewn board binding that originates with Gary Frost; it also has parallels to the construction of some medieval books that use a sewn-on vellum flange to sandwich the boards.  I like it because it opens flat, something I strive for in all my work, and has good board movement. The shaped wooden spine came about because I wanted to make the flat back of this structure more sophisticated in appearance. I had to figure out a way to attach it securely while not letting it impede the opening. These particular bindings have small holes drilled in the wood and threads from the sewn text pass through the holes to secure everything together.

    You’ve founded BINDING re:DEFINED, an organization offering specialized workshops taught by professional bookbinders including yourself, Benjamin Elbel and Emily Martin. As an instructor myself, I can understand the passion for teaching such a significant trade. What led you teach bookbinding? Could you describe your typical student and what aspects of teaching you enjoy most?
    I fell into teaching by accident. A local college asked me to take over from a retiring tutor and it built up from there. What I have discovered after a very nervous beginning is that I enjoy it. As my own work has developed I have become more committed to passing on my interest in structures and to illustrate how they are a viable alternative to the norm.

    About half of my teaching is repair and restoration (I run a weekend class for this during the academic year) and the other half is focused on new work. Whatever path a student chooses to follow in binding I am adamant that they all have a solid grounding in how a book is put together. If they don’t understand their tools or materials then the finished product will be a disaster.

    Many people have come from other disciplines: calligraphy, textile art, photography and architecture. It’s lovely to see them get the bug for binding and add it to their other skills. Opening someone’s eyes to the possibilities in making books is very gratifying. I am on a gentle campaign to inform students that modern texts are unsuitable for Victorian pastiche and that we owe it to the craft to move it into the future.

    And to top it all, teaching is one of the best ways to learn. The information and ideas that I have received from students is invaluable and inspiring. I’d be worse off for not running classes.

    In addition to teaching, you also work as a self-employed bookbinder. Can you describe your workspace and the type of work you specialize in.
    I have a separate studio in my house with big picture windows that overlook very beautiful English countryside. The first thing anyone says when they visit is ‘what an amazing view’. My room is stuffed full of materials and equipment and my working space grows smaller every year. While working I listen to BBC radio 4, a wonderful non-music station that I learn something from every day.

    I have discovered that running the workshops for BINDING re:Defined takes an enormous amount of time in admin, maintaining the website, etc. It’s a new venture that’s only been going for 2 years and one I am convinced has a place in the binding canon. As it grows and evolves my hope is that it will become an important resource for the study of structures.

    Bench time is spent on a steady trickle of repair work, commissions for various projects and making bindings for exhibitions. I have a project list for sculptural pieces that I fit in between the other things.

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    My dog, Sev, is with me always and has a dedicated chair in my studio where he snoozes most of the day. He comes to all workshops and has made many friends. Binding is a very solitary occupation and I couldn’t do what I do without his company. Our daily walks together are a great time for me to clear my head and solve design problems. I’d recommend it.

    sev-lorisauer

  5. Bonus // Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 24, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    thesonglines_hannahbrown1The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin with illustrations by Simon Pemberton is a Folio Society edition published in 2010. Hannah Brown bound this copy in 2011 as a full leather binding in yellow goatskin with black back-pared leather onlays. Embroidery is done over the onlays with silk and metallic threads in gold, orange, purple, brown, white, black and rust. Frosted acrylic ‘windows’ were lathe-turned, hand-pierced and drilled then set into the front and back boards. The larger ant’s eyes are gold-plated, hand-shaped and patterned brass pieces, inserted through the book covers. The smaller ant’s eyes are tooled with gold, additional tooling in both carbon and gold using handmade finishing tools. 

    Edges are painted with acrylic and tooled with carbon and gold foil. Endpapers and doublures are soft-plate off-set printed with a design of walking ants, appearing to move around the acrylic ‘windows’. Both elements are tooled with gold foils.

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    I’m completely blown away by the design on this book. Can you talk more about your initial concept and how you approached making it a reality?
    The book is a direct account of the author’s travels in Australia. In the book there are references to honey ants, which is what I decided to base my design on. Honey ants (or ‘repletes’, as they are also known) are ants that are gorged with food so that their abdomens swell enormously. Other ants then extract nourishment from them, they function essentially as living larders. They are found deep underground and are valued highly during time of little food and water.

    I was amazed by these insects and wanted to draw attention to the fact that they have peculiarly large abdomens. I had by chance recently ordered some samples of frosted, coloured acrylic and this seemed a perfect material to use to illustrate their bodies. I used a metal working lathe to turn the frosted acrylic into discs, and cut corresponding holes into the boards before insetting the acrylic in. I really liked that fact that the bodies seemed to light up when the covers of the book were opened.  

  6. Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 24, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    locksoftheoxfordcanal_hannahbrown1The Locks of the Oxford Canal: A Journey from Oxford to Coventry was published by The Whittington Press in 1984 and includes fifty wood engravings by John Craig. In 2011, Hannah Brown bound a copy for the Designer Bookbinders Annual Competition, receiving the Mansfield Medal for Best Book. The binding is full leather in a turquoise goatskin with various leather onlays and inlays of pink eel skin, turquoise shagreen and yellow, grey and cream goatskin. All embroidery is done over the onlays with colored silk and metallic threads. Two gold-plated, hand-shaped brass pieces were inserted through the covers and recessed into the boards. Tooling in carbon and gold.

    Doublures have been soft-plate off-set printed to include two images taken from the book and are hand-embroidered and tooled with gold foils. The book is housed in an oak box stained black with suede dyes. The front and back include recessed frosted acrylic panels with cut out sections, brass wire, gold foil tooling and sewn details. 
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    Can you go over the process of embroidering onto leather, when did you first introduce this technique into your fine bindings? How do you decide between machine-sewn to hand-sewn embroidery?
    Ever since my first design binding, ‘The Somme: A Eyewitness History’, I have added sewn detail to the leather. During the first couple of years of making fine bindings, the sewn detail was always done using my sewing machine. This method could however be a little hit and miss with fear of the sewing machine foot leaving marks on the leather.

    The first book that I decided to hand embroider was in 2010, ‘Wildlife in a Southern County’, as I felt the design would appear stronger with hand-sewn outlines. From this point on I have largely chosen to embroider the leather by hand as it gives me more control.

    My most ambitious embroidered binding to date has been on my Shakespeare competition entry, ‘Flowers From Shakespeare’s Garden’, the embroidery alone taking me over one hundred hours to complete. I love the way that it is possible to build up depth of colour and different textures by using a variety of embroidery stitches. I have had no formal embroidery training but have taught myself by experimenting on sample boards.

    I begin by creating a base colour on the covering leather by adding coloured leather onlays. I then back pare these and build up the design by adding silk threads in a variety of colours.

  7. Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 17, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    wordstoliveby_hannahbrown1Words to Live By was bound by Hannah Brown in 2009 in a cream alum-tawed goatskin with various leather onlays in green, black, grey and turquoise. Additional leaf pieces of acid-etched stainless steel are hand-sewn onto covers with metallic thread; leaf outlines are machine-sewn. Various hand-pierced leaves and plant details in brass and silver are scattered throughout the design. Hand-tooling in carbon and Moon gold with hand-made finishing tools. Head edge of text block is painted with turquoise acrylic. 

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    glimpsesofnature_hannahbrown1In 2009, Hannah Brown bound Glimpses of Nature by Andrew Wilson in a mustard-yellow goatskin with various leather onlays in dark brown, black and grey. Each dandelion seed head was hand-sewn with white and metallic thread. The binding also includes three hand-pierced and drilled brass dandelions. Hand-tooling in carbon and gold with hand-made finishing tools.

    glimpsesofnature_hannahbrown2More dialogue after the jump…

    read more >

  8. Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 10, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    dontlooknow_hannahbrown1This edition of Daphne Du Maurier’s Don’t Look Now and Other Stories was published by the Folio Society in 2007 and bound by Hannah Brown in 2008 for the Designer Bookbinders Annual Competition, receiving the Mansfield Medal for Best Book. Bound in a dark grey goatskin with miscellaneous leather bird onlays in black, grey, dark green, pale turquoise and dark turquoise. Bird outlines are machine-sewn with twenty-four additional bird silhouettes in hand-pierced brass. Hand-tooled birds in carbon and Moon gold with hand-made finishing tools.

    The book is housed in a drop-back box covered in a pale grey bookcloth highlighted with elements from the binding.

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    Metal pieces appear a lot in your binding. How did you start working with this material, do you cut and shape the metal pieces yourself?
    I began to learn how to work with metal whilst doing my degree course in Brighton. Visually I have always liked the appearance of the pierced metal against leather. I tend to always use brass as the base metal, in my early books I lacquered the metal to prevent tarnishing, however I have now moved on to getting the brass pieces I use gold-plated.

    I do pierce the shapes out myself, I also solder posts on to the reverse of the shapes and attach them to the boards by drilling holes and feeding these posts through. I do not trust glues to withstand the test of time and feel far happier knowing that the metal is physically fixed through the covers. I have also started to experiment with acid etching to create texture on the flat metal surface, and intend to do more with this on future bindings.

  9. Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 3, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

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    The Somme: An Eye Witness History is a Folio Society edition published in 2006 and bound by Hannah Brown in 2007. Boards are covered in pale turquoise goatskin with a dark grey goatskin spine piece. The covers were machine-sewn with red thread and hand-tooled in carbon and Moon gold with handmade finishing tools. The ribbon bookmark was hand-tooled to indicate the scale of map depicted on the boards.thesomme_hannahbrown2thesomme_hannahbrown3

  10. February // Bookbinder of the Month: Hannah Brown

    February 1, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

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    This gorgeous fine binding was bound by Hannah Brown for the 2012 Designer Bookbinders International Competition. The theme of the competition was Shakespeare. Bound in full purple goatskin is a 1906 edition of Flowers from Shakespeare’s Garden: A Posy From the Plays with illustration from Walter Crane. The book contains quotes from various Shakespearean plays, each one containing the name of a flower. Walter Crane beautifully illustrates figures dressed in garments inspired by the flowers mentioned. Each flower in the book appears somewhere on the cover, doublure and endpaper design.

    The leather is embroidered over various colored leather onlays using a variety of silk and metallic threads. There are nine gold plated brass pieces attached to the boards. Using handmade finishing tools, Hannah further embellishes the cover with carbon and gold.

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    The endpapers and doublure design was done using soft-plate off-set printing and embellished with additional embroidery and tooling. 

    shakespeare_hannahbrown2shakespeare_hannahbrown3The binding is housed in a tulipwood box, mitered and held together with bog oak keys. A floral line drawing was etched into the lid of the box with a computer-controlled router. Pads are placed inside the box for added protection, the bottom pad was embroidered with a single flower.

    Hannah specializes in fine binding and custom commissioned pieces, working with a variety of materials and found objects; inspired by her habit of collecting. Check out the interview below to find out how Hannah got into bookbinding and come back every Sunday this month for more fine bindings.

    You graduated from Brighton University in 2004 with a BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Craft. Can you explain your studies, what type of medium(s) did you work in and what materials were you using?
    My degree was nicknamed ‘WMCP’, standing for wood, metal, ceramics and plastics. It was a three-year degree, in the first year we rotated through the four materials learning basic making skills including wood-turning, silver soldering, mould-making and casting in resin. In our second year we had to specialise in two materials so I chose metal and ceramics and went on to make jewellery for my third year degree show.

    When were you first introduced into bookbinding and what was your attraction to it? Can you also talk about your first instructors and the training you had?
    At the Brighton University Grand Parade site, there were many different art-related degree courses running including Graphic Design, Illustration, Sculpture and Fashion. There was a permanent bookbinding studio that students could use as part of their studies if they were doing the Graphics and Illustration courses, however I was not permitted to as my degree course fell under a different department.

    I remember a fellow student on my course showing me some bindings she had made whilst doing bookbinding evening classes in her final study year. I was very impressed by the books she had made and decided to sign up for an evening class myself once I had graduated. At the time I was lucky enough to be working in Brighton for two different jewellers, improving on the metal working skills I learnt whilst doing my degree.

    I signed up to a beginner’s class and my first tutor was Peter Jones (a current Fellow and past President of Designer Bookbinders). We began by making a simple single-section book and then a few weeks later progressed on to making a multi-section, case-binding. I was hooked from pretty much class one, delighting in the fact that I had made my own little notebook!

    Due to my fascination with collecting, which developed during my degree course, I took it further and starting stitching found objects to my book covers. I moved from Brighton a few months after I graduated but was fortunate to carry on going to bookbinding evening classes at The Institute in North London, an adult education college. My tutor there was Chris Damp, a trained book conservator, and this is where I first began to learn how to work with leather.

    You were elected as a Licentiate member of the Designer Bookbinders in 2009. Congratulations! You’ve been assigned two mentors, can you talk about this experience and what opportunities have arose from this honor?
    I applied to be a Licentiate member of Designer Bookbinders after winning the Mansfield Medal in the 2008 Annual Competition for my binding of Daphne Du Maurier’s, ‘Don’t Look Now and Other Stories’. I was thrilled and it was suggested by other bookbinders that I apply.

    I was assigned both Peter Jones, my first bookbinding tutor from Brighton, and Jenni Grey (also from Brighton) as my mentors. They were chosen specifically for me as it was felt their work had specific relevance to mine. I use a lot of embroidery and sewn detail in my work, as does Jenni, and I am also trying to develop ways to use other materials (such as wood, metal and acrylic) into my bindings, which Peter does a lot of.

    The fact that both my mentors live in Brighton is fantastic as I love going down to see them, and reminiscing about by university days. In the four years that they have been my mentors I have been to see them about three times. Each time I have tried to take along work in progress as the most useful feedback I can get is during the making progress, when it is easiest to see how the book is functioning beneath the leather cover. I am able to ask other Fellows for advice too, which is an invaluable tool.

    One of the main opportunities that have arisen since being elected as a Licentiate, has been the chance to regularly exhibit my work alongside the other Fellows and Licentiates. I am also surrounded by a fantastic group of people with which to exchange advice and knowledge. DB has also recently put on a series of master-classes for Licentiates, which are invaluable for improving core skills.

    In a few years you’ll be eligible for election to Fellowship member, are you working towards this distinction?
    I work as a Museum Technician at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London four days a week and do as much bookbinding as I can around this. It is often hard as I only get small blocks of time to work on my fine bindings and commission work, however each binding I do I learn from and progress, therefore in this way I feel I am naturally working towards this distinction. I am approaching my fifth year as a Licentiate and am starting to think more seriously about applying for Fellowship, however I do not want to rush this decision as I have up to seven years in which to apply.

    The advice I get from my mentors and other fellow binders is invaluable and I still feel I have a lot to improve upon. I am confident in my design work but wish to progress further with my forwarding before applying for Fellowship, and I am not sure how long this may take.

    You currently work in your home studio in North London. Do you enjoy working in your home?
    As mentioned previously, I work a four-day week at the V&A Museum, therefore my binding work is done around this. I have often thought about looking into renting a studio space elsewhere, however at the moment it does not make sense financially. I do really enjoy working from home but I have to be quite strict with my time so as not to get distracted by household tasks!

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    At present my fiancé George and I are in the process of setting up a proper home bindery for myself in our spare room in North West London. In the meantime I currently work between the other rooms in the house and am in the process of expanding my range of bookbinding equipment and other machinery. I am always amazed what it is possible to produce with limited space and equipment, and if I were bookbinding permanently I would definitely chose to rent a studio space to house everything in.

    What is your most loved tool(s)? Do you make any of your tools?
    In 2007 I did my first gold tooling class with Tracey Rowledge at Cit Lit College in London. I loved the course and was thrilled to learn that it was easy, and a lot cheaper, to make my own hand tools. I bought some lengths of brass and some wooden dowel and set about filing the brass into shape. These hand-made tools are the favourite tools I own as they were so simple to make yet are so versatile.

    The first book I made with tooling on it was, ‘The Somme: An Eyewitness History’. I made a series of small tools for the design on the cover, and have since used these six tools over and over again in later bindings. I also have a series of hand tools shaped as birds, made for my binding of, ‘Don’t Look Now and Other Stories’, which I still use very regularly. I have also taught on how to make hand tools and am pleased to pass on my knowledge.

    On your about page you mention your passion for collecting. Can you talk more about your process of collecting? Do you find inspiration in the artifacts you collect or does your inspiration come from other artists and bookbinders?
    I am not a methodical collector, I hold on to items that interest me whether it be because of the colour, texture, personal significance or none of the above. I have a treasure trove of objects that I cannot bring myself to throw away and I like the idea of giving these objects new lives by adding them to my bindings. I do not do this very often in my fine binding work, but more regularly in my sketchbook and small commission work. It has however directly led to my interest in incorporating alternative skills into my fine binding work including metalwork, textiles, printmaking and woodwork.

    At university I did my dissertation on the field of collecting, looking specifically at why people amass objects and what their collections consist of. It is particularly significant to me that I am now involved in a field where my work is being added to bookbinding collections, each of my clients having their own interests and reasons for acquiring their bindings.

    As a committee member of the Society of Bookbinders, what is your role in the organization?
    I am a committee member of the London and South region of the Society of Bookbinders. I attend committee meetings to discuss matters arising in our region, plus we put on a programme of workshops and talks throughout the year.

    I am also the co-organiser of the SoB International Bookbinding Competition, with my friend Arthur Green. We have been running this competition for three years and are enjoying the challenge. It is held every two years and runs in conjunction with the Society’s biennial conference. Like the conference it has grown over the years and now attracts around one hundred entries from countries all over the world.

    There are five categories in which binders can enter books which are; Fine Binding, Case Binding, The Complete Book, Restoration and Historic Binding. There are a variety of prizes on offer and the winners are announced at the Society’s conference. These winning books then form a touring show that goes to three different venues around the UK. 

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