Catching Up - Three Netsuke

I have some projects from 2010 that I have been meaning to share with you. Here is the first.

I have always had a fascination for netsuke. I love the wonderful combination of art and function that they can display; I also like that many of them are carved in boxwood - my material of choice for engraving.

Last year 2010, the BAREN group of printmakers organised "Inspired By Japan", a portfolio of prints to raise money for people affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck on 11th March 2011. The prints were to be sold through exhibition as well as online. Most of the printmakers involved practice traditional Japanese moku hanga techniques but I sometimes contribute my own engravings to the print exchanges that BAREN organises and I wanted to take part in the fundraising effort but could not find a subject that seemed appropriate and also suited the technique of wood engraving. I knew that I wanted to include a fragment of a map of Japan but that was all I could come up with.

During a visit to the Victoria and Albert museum, I was examining a case of fine netsuke when it struck me that here was a theme that would work for me. Several of the netsuke had damp or watery connotations which would be interesting to engrave. I was particularly struck by a snail on a lotus leaf which a friend kindly photographed for me:

Back in the studio, I researched netsuke images and the snail was joined by a water buffalo, a duck/swan and an octopus. I had my design.

Unusually for me, I decided to engrave this work in maple. I had a block which I brought home with me from my visit as a guest artist to the Wood Engravers Network in Chicago. I had been waiting for a suitable project.

Here is a detail of the octopus:

The background became a map of  the area of Japan where the earthquake struck shown as a white surrounded by engraved watery waves:

While I was engrossed in this task, I was being interviewed for a feature in the UKHandmade on-line magazine and a photograph takes at this time shows the work in progress:

Here is the finished engraving after being taken through eight states:

The "Inspired By Japan" prints have been exhibited several times (details and on-line sales are here)

For a long time, I have been planning engravings with the theme of collection - either created by myself , other people or occurring naturally. This engraving seemed to me to fit into this group and I decided that the image would have a subsequent life, albeit in a changed form.

It seemed to me that the design was a little tall and unstable. This is a purely personal response but masking off the top of the image convinced me to take drastic action and I sawed off the upper portion and re-engraved the top, removing the water buffalo completely.

I have given this engraving the title "Three Netsuke" but then added text along the sides: "Thinking about the Tohoku Earthquake 11th March 2011". It has been printed in a smaller than usual edition of fifty. It has been accepted for the current Society Of Wood Engravers touring exhibition and is now available from my Etsy Store.

In Praise Of Ely

In Praise of Ely is a new 'Fine Press' book designed and printed by Chip Coakley at the Jericho Press, now located in Ely. I am lucky enough to have several Jericho Press volumes on my bookshelves; they are always interesting and well produced. I contributed an engraved press device to "Psalter Collects" (see here). I was pleased to be asked to engrave some small "spots" to decorate "In Praise Of Ely, part of a Latin text that has been translated into English verse by Janet Fairweather (whose translation of the Liber Eliensis is available here).

The verses paint a very pretty picture of Medieval Ely and I illustrated some of its glories with a series of small engravings.

I used a piece of resurfaced Victorian boxwood which I cut into several smaller pieces:

We started the work with a headpiece showing the early cathedral:

Another showed Norman arches inside the cathedral:

An engraving of an eel was made for the title page. Yet another showed bees around a skep and, finally, a tailpiece showed a heron with an eel. This was not specifically mentioned by Brother Gregory who wrote the original verses but it seemed to me to be appropriate:

The book was printed at the Jericho Press in Ely in an edition of just 100 copies and the results are very fine. Here are some photographs of the finished book, nicely bound in green cloth.:

 

If you live near Ely, copies can be bought from Toppings, a very fine bookshop. You can also purchase the book directly from The Jericho Press:

http://www.jericho-press.com/


Finally, a trial version of the title page eel that I engraved during this project, together with a signed proof pulled from it using my 1865 Albion handpress, is currently being offered on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200698700463&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:GB:1123

Since this is my first post of 2012,  may I wish you all a Very Happy New Year?

Oxford And Onwards

I spent last weekend at the Oxford Fine Press Book Fair and had a very busy and successful weekend. The fair takes place at Oxford Brookes University and features Fine Presses, book artists, book dealers and suppliers from all over the world; it happens every two years and it is always a pleasure to go and catch up with what others have been doing.

I splashed out on a stand with a screen in one of the quieter corners where I could sit and work as well as sell my things:

 I had room for two small browsers of engravings:

The rest of the front of the table was taken up with my handmade books and portfolios:

There was still room for me to engrave; I like to be able to show what it is that I do and let people handle the block.

 I never work on a commissioned project with so many distractions as its so easy to make a mistake. I brought out a personal project - some long tailed tits that I see on my walks. I actually made a lot of progress and this image will be available before too long:

I came home with many treasures, including 500 sheets of wonderful Magnani laid paper from John Purcell Paper. Magnani papers have been made in Italy since 1404. This will make wonderful notepaper as well as being used for book projects. They also supplied the lovely Curwen pattern paper on the right below; it was designed by Sarah Nechamkin. The paper on the left is a very individual paper by Susanne Krause who brought her paper from Hamburg to sell. I am going to use it for a single portfolio to hold engravings.

I use papers by Victoria Hall on all my small book projects; they are sensational. I bought some for my next books and some wonderful individual sheets for single portfolios and sketchbooks; here are three.
They are (c) Victoria Hall

A huge pleasure of the weekend was collecting my copy of "the Play Of Pericles Prince Of Tyre" from Barbarian Press. It is simply a staggering book and satisfying in every way. Design, printing, illustration (by Simon Brett) and binding were all breathtaking. I am looking forwards to a third collaboration with Jan and Crispin soon.

After Oxford, I caught up with framing and then travelled to Lancashire to deliver framed and unframed prints to Artroom Gallery at Garstang, near Preston, where they will be available from now until January.

Now I am back and have tidied the design studio so that I can get on with the work in hand. I am making the final drawing for an exciting illustration. More about this very soon.

I am pretty much in the studio until Christmas now.

Oxford - Its That Time Of Year Again

Its November and there have been some wonderfully dramatic light effects to enjoy on my morning walks as the sun breaks through the fog:




Meanwhile, back in the studio there are busy times.

Every other year, during the first weekend of November, I attend the Oxford Fine Press Fair at Oxford Brookes University. Full details are here. I will be working on a new engraving and, apart from offering a wide range of my wood engravings for sale, I will also be (hopefully) selling a number of my handmade limited edition books, all of which feature my wood engravings.

Back in the studio, more Woman In Black Portfolios dry under pressure under weights and in the book press, ready for me to take to Oxford:



I will also have copies of my miniature concertina-style book "A Prospect Of Ely", which I have been binding in between working on other projects:



The newest book features five of my tiny "Cinderella" stamps. Here are three of them during engraving:




... and here are some printed sheets from the book drying on the ceiling rack:

So when I printed proofs from the blocks to accompany the fifteen special copies, I was running out of space to spread them out to dry. However, "Red", the 1902 Albion handpress does make an elegant drying rack:



In fact the printing studio is a real mess at the moment as I start to gather things ready for the weekend, as well as finish projects in hand. I will have a good clean when I return.

In addition to these, I will also have copies of my "25 Bookplates" for sale, and samples of other illustrations.

The Fine Press Fair is open  11am - 6pm on Saturday, 5th  and 10am - 5pm on Sunday 6th November. Admission is by catalogue at £5, which covers admission on both days, as well as the lectures on Sunday.

Do please come and say hello if you attend.

From Yorkshire to Essex and an Arty Weekend

Last week was spent on the Yorkshire coast in a small but comfortable cottage just a couple of miles walk along the shore from Whitby. No phone or Internet made this a relaxing week with much walking, reading and drawing - done for the sheer enjoyment of drawing. Here is Whitby looking from Sandsend; the abbey can be seen on the headland:


This week has been crowded with work in hand, a troublesome tooth finally fixed and preparations for this coming weekend when I will have a table at the Ashdon Arts and Crafts Fair. Events take place throughout the village, which is near Saffron Walden in Essex. Tickets cost just £2.50 and are available from the Village Hall; the postcode is CB10 2ET.

I will be selling my whole range of engravings and will also have hand printed cards and a copy of "The Woman In Black Portfolio" for people to see. It will be great to meet any readers so do please introduce yourselves if you can get along. The event is open between 10am and 5pm and you will find me in the hall of the Village School. Teas are available so if you cannot find me I will probably be choosing somehome made cake!

Here is the flyer (click to enlarge):



Finally, a reminder that my engravings are still on show at the Bridge Street Pottery and Gallery in Hay-On-Wye. See here.

Thats my weekend. I hope you have a good one.

Hay-On-Wye Exhibition

Last Sunday was the Private View of an exhibition featuring my garden and wildlife engravings at the Brook Street Pottery & Gallery in Hay-On-Wye. Also on display were Maureen Minchin's stunning decorated earthenware. The morning was particularly busy and, by the time I slipped away for a late lunch where were a pleasing number of red dots to be seen.

I waited until the end of the day before taking out the camera and making a record of the room:




The exhibition continues until October 16th 2011. The gallery is open from Wednesday to Sunday 10:30am - 5:30pm.

The telephone number is 01497 821070 and the email address is info@brookstreetpottery.co.uk
The postcode is HR3 5BQ