Miniature Books, A Outrance and Snow

I have been working on a miniature book recently. I had already engraved a panorama of Ely from the village and engraved a title page:


...and a colophon on separate blocks:



These were printed in the small Albion press to make a very wide image which I trimmed and folded, concertina fashion, to form the inside of the book:



The case of the book was cut from card and covered in various paste papers. I used thin ribbon at the spine. This was tied into bows to hold the book together.


Here is the finished book. I will explain the ribbons in a moment:


With the ribbons tied, you can open the book as normal:


However, if you untie the ribbons, you can open the book to see the whole panorama:


These books will shortly be available from my website.


Tuesday saw a long drive over to Oxford. We spent the afternoon in the Pitt Rivers Museum, a unique institution and then wandered around town as night started to fall. Then it was time to head for the Bodleian Library where A Outrance was being launched in the wonderful setting of the Divinity School:



Philip Pullman gave a wonderful reading from the extract of his novel, ending with a marvellous bear's roar!


Bruce from the Oak Tree Fine Press then spoke about the great needs of children suffering from the effects of HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. All of the proceeds from the sale of the books goes towards this cause.


I had seen the letterpress edition on Somerset paper at the Oxford Fine Press Fair and, despite the high price (but all for a very good cause), I decided that I had to have a copy of my own. The next day, I was able to spend some time with this beautiful volume which arrived snug in a slipcase:


It is a very handsome volume, half bound in leather:




With a wonderful hand marbled paper:


Opening the book, the engravings and letterpressed type look wonderful against the textured paper:




My decorated capital letters look particularly good with the use of red and black type:


Red type also adorns the pages where there are full page engravings:


Philip Pullman has added a line from the text and his signature underneath the engraved portrait by engraver and blockmaker Chris Daunt:


The top edges of the pages are gilt:


In the back of the book is a collection of the six full page engravings:


All signed by the artists and author:


One of my engravings was not used in the text but, instead, appears as a gold image:


All in all, this is a most beautiful addition to my bookshelves. Copies are still available from the Oak Tree Fine Press.

Luckily, the weather was fine on Tuesday and the drives to and from Oxford were uneventful. Since then, we have had snow for several days and I have enjoyed several walks through the lanes and droves:



This will be my last post before Christmas. I send every good wish to you at Christmas and for the New Year.

Christmas Open Studio

I am taking part in the following event this weekend:

Christmas Open Studio

The Studio at Beechcroft, 51 Fen End, Over, CB24 5NE

telephone 01954 230324

11am to 6pm on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November

Althea Braithwaite - brilliantly coloured fused glass

Andy English - wood engravings

Antonia Galloway - papier mache sculpture

Edward Parker - metal sculpture

Ken Smith - carved wooden birds

Meet the artists and enjoy your

Christmas shopping with mulled wine and mince pies


Friday Evening "Private View"
6:30 - 8:30pm

Oxford and A Outrance

The Oxford Fine Press Fair is always a real treat and this year was no exception. I found an hotel just a short walk from the city centre but with lovely rural views. Here is what I could see looking out through one of my windows:



My journey on Friday was very pleasant and, once I had settled into my room, I did some last minute preparations and then slept soundly ready for a relatively early start in the morning.

Saturday morning found me setting up my table and stand.



As usual, I was engraving and well as selling. Copies of "25 Bookplates" and the "Freshly Cut" portfolio can be seen on the corner closest to the camera:


I was engraving a garden piece on a natural "round" of boxwood - one that I had started to engrave in Chicago.


Saturday was most pleasant and successful; the evening equally pleasant and relaxing.

On Sunday, I took the opportunity to explore the work of the other presses.


I was particularly keen to visit Oak Tree Fine Press to get my first view of "A Outrance", the extract from Philip Pullman's Northern Lights that I have contributed engravings for (see this earlier post). I was not disappointed.


It is a superbly produced book with a generous page size. It is available for sale here in three editions.


Seeing this exciting book, catching up with the Oak Tree Fine press Team and meeting Philip Pullman were just some of the things that made this a weekend that I will always remember.

The Freshly Cut Portfolio

I decided to make thirty portfolios of the engravings that I had decided to edition from the "Freshly Picked" project. This is called "Freshly Cut". Each portfolio is handmade with red spine cloth and tie ribbons and marbled paper covered boards with dark green card inserts to hold the engravings.


I made a template so that I couyld sign each engraving neatly. This involved cutting a window in a clear plastic folder. It worked well:



Each portfolio contains the ten engravings with the same edition number. The first set are all numbered 1/100 and so on.

I decided that the images should be prefaced by a title page that I would print letterpress in the small Albion. I composed the type:



After printing a proof, I used makeready to give a neat and even printing:



Soon, printed sheets were drying on the rack:



I rather enjoy bookbinding and making the portfolios was a pleasant change. Here is the finished item:


Inside, a card folder contained the engravings:


All spread out:


The Freshly Cut Portfolio is available from my website at a price of £135.


These portfolios were destined for the Oxford Fine Press Fair. I took the opportunity to print some more copies of "Twenty Five Bookplates":




Its always a pleasure to use my nipping press:


However, bricks wrapped in brown paper provide the weight for larger stacks of drying volumes.


After a week of long days and late nights, everything was ready to set off for Oxford.

Chicago: WEN Workshop (4)

*Warning - this post features an extraordinary number of printing presses*

Now this looks an interesting place to start a day:


Paul Aken's wonderful Platen Press Museum in Zion, IL.


Walking into the first room, we were met by a group of iron handpresses, including this handsome Hopkinson & Cope Albion Press:


The unmistakeable Columbian press. We were given the opportunity to print on this during our visit:


A large Washington Press:


A sweet Hopkinson & Cope table top Albion. There were many of us who would have liked to adopt this and take it home:



Finally, a wonderful Reliance:


In another room, Earl had found a Columbian No. 2 Platen press, similar to his own.


Everywhere, there seemed to be a handpress.


Carl and Rachel were among those who pulled proofs from the Columbian.



In the meantime, I explores Paul's "Toyroom":




In the book room, a poster that caught my eye:


I have never in my life seen so many presses together in one place:




Elsewhere, there were various casting machines, including this wonderful linotype:



It was getting towards lunchtime and some more people were due to fly out so we drove to the Illinois Beach State Park for a picnic lunch:


After lunch, we went to the beach for a last look at Lake Michigan. I skimmed stones into the lake and then sat and made towers of pebbles, contemplating the directions that my printmaking might go as a result of my experiences during this week.



We drove back to Sharen and Don's.


The basement was growing quieter and more empty all the time. Sometimes, Kitsi had found it difficult to cope with so many visitors but now she could relax again - and enjoy Sharen's proofing press:


Saturday morning found me relaxing again at Kildeer.


Then it was time to leave for the airport (and a wonderful upgrade!) for the flight home.


I am so very grateful to the Wood Engraver's Network for their kind invitation, to Sharen and Don for their generous hospitality and for the friendship and companionship of my fellow engravers. I know that my work will change as a result of my experiences and I look forwards to a time later in the year when I can start to explore some of the ideas that I am forming. In some ways, I left for Chicago a jobbing engraver and arrived back in England an artist.

Chicago: WEN Workshop (3)

Wednesday morning was a working morning and it was interesting to hear the sounds made by massed engravers - the sounds made by movements of gravers against wood, of wood against leather sandbags and quiet words...





I engraved a little but my mind was partly on the presentation that I was scheduled to give after lunch. I decided to walk out and enjoy Sharen and Don's lovely garden and the wildlife that it harboured:


I watched a small group of Canada Geese land on the lake...



Seeing them against the reflected light was a wonderful illustration of a point that I wanted to make - the fact that sometimes opportunities present themselves like this; sometimes we "see" the world as engravings.



A brisk and welcome walk (accompanied by ominous thunder) to Chipotle and an equally welcome burrito set me up for my presentation before the assembled engravers and guests. I spoke about my development as an engraver, my influences and the way that I work, emphasising my belief in the importance of sketchbook work. The audience listened to me kindly and patiently. I enjoyed a most pleasant afternoon meeting people.

In the evening, we ate pizza and enjoyed the first of two sessions during which members made their own presentations of work.

All in all, a most enjoyable day.


Thursday morning found us driving to Evanston and Northwestern University. First stop was the Deering Library where eyes were caught by a reconstruction of a Gutenburg Press:



Once again, we were given access to some very interesting and beautiful treasures.


I poured over a set of re-strikes from William Blake's 1821 engravings for Thornton's Virgil:


We had already seen three early proofs from these blocks at the Art Institute.

I was particularly taken by a group of blocks engraved by Eric Gill. One seldom sees these and it was interesting to see how seemingly effortlessly they were cut and cleared:



There were more Blakes on display, including a wonderfully printed re-strike from one of his largest Copper Engravings: The Canterbury Tales:


The linear work in the background is simply beautiful:


I find this figure simply breathtaking in the way that she is drawn and engraved:


Yet more Blakes - his illustrations to Dante's Inferno:


There was much to catch the eye and cause debate:


In this case it was the "make-ready" formed from layers of tissue that was used to print one of Thomas Bewick's engraved blocks:


Apart from prints and blocks, there were some well chosen books; I could have pulled up an armchair and spent the day here.


We walked from The Deering Library to the Block Museum where we had the opportunity to examine some extremely fine engravings. I was pleased to have this session which was dedicated almost exclusively to American engravers.




We enjoyed lunch in the cafeteria and then walked to Bookman's Alley. This is a most marvellous bookshop and the hour we spent there was as pleasant as any during the week:






In the evening we enjoyed lovely food at a local restaurant befor returning to Kildeer for coffee, desserts and more member presentations. This was a most convivial evening. Carl played his concertina and farewells were said as some members would not join us for the final day.

I was given a very beautiful book:


A 1947 facimile of William Blake's "America A Prophecy"


I could not have received a more well chosen, appropriate gift and memento of my visit; it is a lovely addition to my own Blake collection that sits above me as I type:


To be continued...

Chicago: WEN Workshop (2)

Tuesday morning found us driving towards downtown Chicago:




We met up at Cosi's Coffee shop where I grabbed a welcome smoothie.


We were in for a real treat at the Art Institute of Chicago. We visited the Print Study Room where a selection of prints and blocks had been selected for our enjoyment:


The first item could not have been more appropriate for me - three proofs from William Blake's wood engraved illustrations to Thornton's 1821 edition of Virgil.

The middle one is probably the most important print in terms of my own development as a printmaker. It is a tiny thing but of huge significance to me and one that I wanted to refer to when I spoke the next day:


Of the blocks on display, I was particularly taken by one engraved by Lucien Pissarro, son of the Impressionist Camille. If you click on the image to enlarge it you can see where the block is starting to split. This is not uncommon with engraved blocks, which are often made from smaller pieces of wood glued together:

Another exciting inclusion for me was one of the small number of wood engravings that the English Pop Artist Peter Blake (he of the cover to the Beatle's Sgt. Pepper album) has made.



We had lunch in the Art Institute restaurant and then took the opportunity to see some of the other treasures from the collection. I was particularly keep to see Seaurat's La Grande Jatte, having seen the other version and many of the preparatory sketches. Grant Wood's American Gothic was another "must see".

The works that made the most impact on me were by Ivan Albright. Having seen his work only in reproduction, it was stunning to see pieces for real. Even the carved wooden frames were fascinating. There was something Blakean about the figures on the frame of "Into the World There Came a Soul Called Ida":



I was particularly taken by a large gouche called "The Rustlers" (Thanks, Tony for the photo). It is an image that I find myself returning to over and over again:


Eventually, we had to leave and walk a few blocks through the city:



To catch a bus:


To the wonderful Newberry Library. Once again, we were able to view rare items at close quarters. Highlights included a large collection of engraved blocks by Thomas Bewick and an early book by Maurits Cornelis Escher.

Afterwards, we walked to the Sherwin Beach Press. Here we enjoyed refreshments, examined the work of the press, showed off our own and chatted to members of the Caxton Club. It was a very pleasant occasion.



This was followed by a drive through the city.



Then a stop to enjoy a view of the skyline and Lake Michigan.




We then parked and walked past hedges (some appropriately of box) to...


...the magnificent Buckingham Fountain:








This had been a long and tiring day but a most memorable one.