A day in Studio 5.....alone

With the Kyffin project done, the books delivered, waiting to be exhibited and sold by auction, I move on to the books on the bench.

So, a day of printing. End papers for a commission - all Greek gods and mythology, great fun. The technique I used is a Soft Plate off-Set process... lots of ink, lots of water and back breaking work at the press. The Studio 5 members love it, but then I am usually the one who does the press work....lucky people
With those done I have been able to concentrate on the printing of a new book. Yes, I print my own. The proofing press was dusted down, rollers charged and away I went. Today has been a practise day, a day of experimentation, a day of surprises and by-and-large a good day.

I have decided the subject, the overall look and the edition number. Images and text will be gathered, exciting times.

One of the issues I have with making the complete book , is that I have been called a book artist. In some ways I am. In many ways I am not. I find it difficult to keep calm when I view some of the offerings that flood the various Artists Book Fairs and the like. Flaccid, ill made trite. Crooned over by frustrated artists. The worst are those who have done some course or an other, they wave their qualification like a warrant, to ensure that the money they have spent on the course will ensure that you take them seriously and part with your money.

I think of them as Christmas cracker book artists, book arts by numbers.

This leaves me wide open for criticism, perhaps I should not comment and let the book art world spiral into a pedestrian morass. I can not, I believe that there can be a balance between the art and the craft. There are many fantastic book artists but they are overshadowed by the voiced majority who say so much, about so little, so often.