B A N D S. The Newsletter of the Canberra Craft Bookbinders Guild Volume 29, Number 3, June

Transcription

1 R A I S E D B A N D S The Newsletter of the Canberra Craft Bookbinders Guild Volume 29, Number 3, June

2 COVER IMAGE: Work in progress from two of the Guild s recent workshops: top, from Helen Sanderson s workshop (see p. 9) and bottom, from Elizabeth Steiner s workshop (p. 8) :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 2

3 Contents A Note from the President Next Meeting details April Meeting Report Graphite Edging instructions Workshop reports: 1. Joy & John Tonkin Elizabeth Steiner Helen Sanderson The Gathering: sheets for binding Book review: The Silent Scream Members News and Opportunities Change of venue This year the Guild has moved to a new and more accessible venue: Hughes Community Centre, Wisdom Street, Hughes The new venue is easy to locate as it is alongside the Hughes Shopping Centre, with parking in the shopping centre off Wisdom Street. There is also disabled parking right at the front door of the centre. Entry to the building is much friendlier and simpler. We hope that the improved venue encourages our members to attend meetings! We do ask that everyone attending brings a tea/coffee mug with them, and also a nametag this will be a regular request, starting this year. Calendar Meetings are held on the second Thursday of every second month. Dates of forthcoming meetings are therefore: JUNE 14 OCTOBER 11 AUGUST 9 DECEMBER 13 Meetings begin at 7:30pm. If details vary, every attempt will be made to notify members by phone, and/or the Guild website. Please keep your contact details up to date. See the following page for details of the next meeting s activity. RAISED BANDS 2012:3 3

4 a note from the president Dear Bookbinders, I ve just come back from an artistically engaging workshop with Helen Sanderson. Nine bookbinders applying their creativity to making books from the inside, and layering paints, inks, papers and stitches into personal views of the landscape and history of Canberra. The 2012 venue for the Guild is really good for workshops, with high ceilings and a large glass wall that reminds us of the outside - and of the passage of time as the hours race past in a workshop. Helen is from Brisbane, and this workshop shared some of the marks that floods and fires have made on our lives in Canberra and Brisbane. Three reminders I would like to make this time. Exhibit your work: the call for submissions is open for our Handwritten Handbound exhibition that Caren Florance is curating and combines the Guild with the Canberra Calligraphers. Bind something new: the printed notes from the Gathering are available for sale as extra copies in sheet form for binders anywhere in Australia: tell your bookworking friends, or buy them a gift. And enjoy the Bookbinders Guild: a gentle reminder that membership subscriptions for are coming due. Please pay by bank transfer if possible. I hope to see you at the June meeting, 2nd Thursday of the month as usual, with a leather-binding activity. Chris Johnson Next Meeting THURSDAY 14 June 2012 Caren Florance will be leading us through a basic longstitch binding into recycled Masonic apron leather. Paper and leather will be provided, please bring your choice of waxed linen thread if you have it (some will be provided, but not in great quantity), cutting mat if you have one, plus an awl, needle and scissors. Notes will be provided :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 4

5 MEETING REPORT: APRIL 2012 APOLOGIES: Lyndell Dobbs, Louise Burmester, Margaret Easton, Vicki Woolley, Caren Florance, Chris Johnson A good turnout of 21 members and a number of new members. It was good to welcome back Ralf Iannuzzi, Robin Tait (who has returned to Canberra), and Jeanette Ruxton, who had been a member in the 1980s. Helen Jensma s suggestion that we wear name tags is becoming more important as our membership grows. The meeting was opened by the Secretary with general business and in particular a reminder about the joint exhibition with the calligraphers at the Belconnen Art Centre later in the year. Joy Tonkin gave a short slide show of tooled leather bindings held by the Baillieu Library, at the University of Melbourne from the Gregynog Press which operated from 1922 to Most of the bindings were by Robert Maynard. Maynard s gold tooling was quite elegant and his use of lines was perfectly executed and has stood the test of time in design. Every now and again one could detect an element of Art Nouveau, although this may be my imagination as he was not a man to indulge in curves and extravagant decoration for its own sake. Joy said that anyone wishing to visit the collection at the University could contact Pamela Pryde who has indicted she would be happy to allow viewing of this small but important collection by guild members. Joy had also agreed to give members a short workshop in applying a graphite edge. A number of us had already been lucky enough to do her workshop at the Gathering and it also gave an opportunity for others to learn this fine technique. Unlike gold gilding this technique is almost bound to be successful (maybe not perfect the first time). It is most heartening to apply the graphite and find it stays on. It was a good refresher course for those who had done it before and it now means that everyone who wants to has some way of embellishing the edges of a book block. Joy has kindly supplied the instructions (next page) so that everyone has access to this method of edging. Joy was thanked for her instruction in the usual way. As an aside, Joy s work (there was brief mention of John) has been celebrated in the Canberra Times (p. 9, 26/5/12) with a number of great pictures, if you didn t see, it try to get a copy a very nice article. WT RAISED BANDS 2012:3 5

6 Procedure for applying a gr aphite edge (Joy Tonkin) 1. Talc the top edge and ensure all sections are aligned. 2. Round the book. If decorating the fore-edge do this before rounding. 3. Plough the edge. 4. Place the book between boards in the lying press. Gilding boards are usually used. These are tapered to give maximum pressure on the surface to be decorated. 5. Ensure that the edge is perfectly flat and no sections protruding or dropping down and everything is flat and parallel. Ensure you have very strong pressure on the textblock. Also ensure the backswell is compensated to avoid squashing the spine shoulders. 6. Sand the edge with a medium paper and then sand with finer grades of sandpaper to provide a very smooth finish. Remember that the smoothness of the edge will determine the quality of the finished edge. Preparation is vitally important and should not be neglected. 7. Apply a light coat of size to the edge. Use methyl cellulose or a paste. 8. The graphite powder (good quality, not the kind you find in a hardward store) is mixed with a glaire or a very weak methol cellulose and water mixture. Stir until dissolved. 9. Using a brush, lightly coat the edge with the graphite mixture. When dry gently rub the graphite with your thumb to ensure no lumps and an even coating of graphite. If you require a denser colour, wait till the first coat is dry before applying a second or subsequent coats. 10. When dry burnish the edge with an agate directly onto the graphite while still in the lying press or polish with a soft rag :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 6

7 workshop reports 1. joy & john tonkin Simplified Binding, 24 25/3/12 and Floating Board, 21 22/4/12 Both these workshops have been an insight for those of us who are amateurs to develop a more professional approach towards bookbinding and for the professional and experienced binders new ways to approach the art of bookbinding. John is wonderfully patient and I believe I tried it a number of times but his approach is to lead you towards perfection through example. We all tried to improve our paring (for those who didn t attend this included paper as well) and we did but most of us still have a long way to go. He was generous in every way in showing his professional approach to binding. In both cases we finished books that are really beautiful (only we know where we must improve) to look at and hold. An important part of the workshop is that one only needs small quantities of leather and that the humble paste paper executed sensitively and with good colour sense makes a beautiful cover. I think leaving John s and Joy s workshop one always feels a little of the professionalism that they have towards their work has rubbed off. Thank you to Joy for being so encouraging and always giving us the paper and the leather at the right time. I can only wish that there are more workshops in the pipeline. John Tonkin working on a leather spine piece with Wendy Taylor and Teresa Duhigg looking on. RAISED BANDS 2012:3 7

8 2. Elizabeth Steiner Woven Book Structures 5 6/5/12 Guild members have been spoilt for choice for workshops this year and this workshop gave attending members an exceptional set of bindings that they could call on for making up elegant books. This was not an easy workshop; it called for concentration and the willingness to undo (carefully) to get things right. The prize at the end was an ingeniously constructed set of books put together without adhesives and all that held them together, in some cases, were strips of paper. The results were stunning, particularly for some who were smart enough to think of colour coordination, and even for those tailing behind (like me). The results were surprisingly strong books. It was good to go through with Elizabeth her version of the Blizzard book one small and one large enough to take quite big pages and with a cover. We ended up making six books it was hard work but the techniques learned were worth it, particularly when one can now look at the beauty of the Sing book and its seemingly impossible weaving. Top, clockwise: 1. From shapes like this came books like this 3. An example of the suite of books made over the weekend. 4. Elizabeth and the hardworking group. RAISED BANDS 2012:3 8

9 3. Helen Sanderson Layering the Landscape: what to put inside the book 26 27/5/12 The theme was exploring ways to document PLACE (in this case Canberra) using a range of media that could be made into a book or kept in a special box. This workshop took most of us outside our comfort zone. The book was to be a sampler as we tried different techniques, and in this way we might find processes that suited the way we worked as individuals. The workshop was also a sharing place to see what others had done. Helen proved to be an outstanding teacher. Everyone explored new techniques which included printing, using a gelatine plate, collaging, sewing, manipulating copied images, painting and drawing. Many beautiful images were produced on paper, acetate and tracing paper. Helen was an inspiration in encouraging people to push themselves into trying new ideas. A number of people explored sewing and this was most effectively carried out in a number of ways. Everyone ended up with a work in progress and with many ideas for other projects. Being creative is very hard work. Helen will be remembered for her encouragement to think outside the box and she kept reminding us that any perceived failures would be the foundation of a new experiment. We were also very fortunate to be able to see and handle some of Helen s own book art. Helen has been visiting Canberra over the last year. The Guild took the opportunity of her being a (local) to have Helen design and tutor this workshop. She is much sought after for her art, book collaborations and curating skills in Queensland. Members of the workshop getting creative with lots of plastic underlay! For more images, see overleaf :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 9

10 More workshop images: Steiner & Sanderson RAISED BANDS 2012:3 10

11 Sheets for binding: The Gathering notes The Gathering notes (in sheets) can now be purchased for binding. The cost of one copy is $45, which includes postage & handling in Australia. Overseas purchasers will need to contact the Guild about postage. This edition was produced by Bookarts Canberra as a record of The Gathering bookbinding conference held in Canberra, ACT in November It includes workshop notes, conference papers and a snapshot of the activities of the various Australian guilds to date. The textblock has 14 sections, each of two sheets per section.the sheets when folded and trimmed measure approximately 250 x 160mm. The pages are set in 10 point Cambria with headings in 18 point Academy Engraved and Calligraph 421 and have been laser-printed on commercial stock. Only 130 copies have been produced and numbered 1 to 130. There are at time of print 35 copies available for purchasing in this edition. Prior to payment please admin@canberrabookbinders.org.au to ensure availability of a copy. Payment of $45 can be made online include TGN2012 initial and surname as a reference, or by cheque. See the last page of this newsletter for banking and post details. Special guest at The Gathering, US librarian & renaissance man Jim Canary, speaking about his library s collection. RAISED BANDS 2012:3 11

12 Review: The Silent Scream: Political and Social Comment in Books by Artists Edited by Monica Oppen and Peter Lyssiotis, paperback, 190pp. Published by Ant Press for the Bibliotheca Librorum apud Artificem, $39 postage paid. This Australian publication is a catalogue for an exhibition held at the Monash University Rare Books Library in Curated from Monica Oppen s private artists book library, it is, in the words of the editors, a journey through some of humanity s most inhumane and hypocritical moments. The Silent Scream provides insights into 77 influential books and works in book form from the past 90 years. The catalogue is divided into five sections: The first, The Beginning, has only one book: America: A Prophecy by William Blake. The short essay accompanying it points out that Blake was the very first book artist. As a poet engraver and printmaker he had the skills to produce his own books. The second section, Across Two World Wars , is accompanied by an essay by Walter Struve. The third section covers The Cold War in a Nuclear Era: Alienation and Enchantment , with an essay by Scott McQuire. The fourth section is Imperialism, Fundamentalism, Democracy, Oil and its Shadow 1990 to the Present, by Humphrey McQueen. The final section, Along the Tangent: Books on the Edge has an essay by Des Cowley, Rare Books Librarian at the State Library of Victoria. One of our own members, Caren Florance, is included in this last section with her bookwork, Elegy to Lost Times. This is much more than a catalogue: its introduction, its essays, references, and its notes on the writers and artists provide all the information one often longs for in some of the hastily-put-together catalogues that usually accompany such exhibitions. Best of all, each book work gets at least two pages with some written description of the book and its maker. A very useful addition is a detailed citation on format, date, production method, paper, binding, edition and anything else :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 12

13 relevant to that particular book. There are photographs (well executed) where the cover and open pages can be looked at in detail, and many of these would not have been available when looking at the book under glass at the exhibition. It is a terrific resource for those of us who want to follow through on some research. Because of the subject matter, many of the books and images are confronting and if not confronting, they are thought-provoking. This a book to be picked up and read over a number of months. The essays and the preface by Sarah Bodman and the Introduction by the editors/curators should not be skipped over. This is a serious book which is a credit to everyone who had input into its production it is great that it is an Australian production which must have taken a huge amount of time to put together. The photographs, the paper and the printing is all of a good quality and it is surprising that it was not more expensive. It is well worth the price. To see a sample of the book s contents, go to com.au/demos/appbooks/silent_scream/ The book can be purchased through a number of distributors, including Oak Knoll Press, but the best and cheapest Australian source is Australian Scholarly Publishing. ( WT :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 13

14 Members news & opportunities Call for Works: Guild Retrospective at the BAC The CCBG will be exhibiting this year at the Belconnen Arts Centre jointly with the Canberra Calligraphy Society. The dates of the exhibition are 19 October to 11 November, with installation on 16 October. The title of the exhibition is to be HANDWRITTEN HANDBOUND and for our guild, the curatorial focus is to be on the a selection of best of our work, past and present. The guild will also be presenting some workshops during the run of the show, and we will also be looking for members to volunteer to sit the show. This is the second call for members to submit their work for the show. We are particularly encouraging the older guild members to submit work produced in the early years of the guild, and newer members to submit their best and/ or more experimental work. Caren Florance will be curating the exhibition for the guild, and is mindful of the fact that we are sharing the Gallery space, with the Calligraphers using the bulk of the wall space. This means that not all works submitted will be used; the selection will be determined on the basis of available plinths, wall shelving and the establishment of a balanced collection of traditional and experimental binding that will showcase our guild in the best possible light. Please contact Caren regarding your submission. Don t be put off by the curating, we need work. You may forward photo graphs by (see the inside cover of RB for contact details) or bring the work itself to the next meeting, drop it to Caren by appointment, or request that she come to you to pick up the work. Don t be shy! The wider the selection, the better the show. We look forward to seeing the wealth of talent and hard work in our binding community. Courses Caren Florance is running another Sturt Winter School workshop in Mittagong in July, this time called The Complete Book. This will be a week of book making, focussing on producing a whole work, integrating the binding and the contents. Details at :3 RAISED BANDS RAISED BANDS 2012:3 14

15 Turningover Guild members Vicki Woolley, Linda Newbown and Eva Schroeder have decided to present their perceptions of the world in the exhibition Turningover. Through handbound artist books, printing, textural papers and 3D paper works, the exhibition explores how each individual artist is adjusting to, and interpreting, outside change from within the parameters of mutual respect. The exhibition opens on Friday 29 June at 6 (by Caren Florance) and runs until 15 July at Strathnairn Arts Association gallery, 90 Stockdill Drive, Holt. The gallery is open 10am 4.30pm Friday to Sunday (closed Mondays to Thursdays). TURNING OVER a n e x h i b i t i o n o f a r t i s t b o o k s, p r i n t i n g a n d 3 D p a p e r w o r k s Vicki Woolley Linda Newbown Eva Schroeder RAISED BANDS 2012:3 15

16 CANBERRA CRAFT BOOKBINDERS GUILD MEMBERSHIP FORM Guild Objectives 1. To promote and exhibit the art of the hand-bound book. 2. To maintain traditional craft bookbinding skills 3. To seek to exert a progressive influence on the design and technique of bookbinding. Membership Conditions Membership for the upcoming year runs 1 July June 2013 and is $40. Membership includes generous discounts when attending Guild-organised workshops; that year s issues of two publications: Raised Bands and Morocco Bound (Journal of the Australian Craft Bookbinders); as well as various discounts. Raised Bands is predominantly an publication although hard copies can be mailed if special consideration is requested. Payment Methods Electronic Bank Transfer (Please the Treasurer to inform them of the payment): Name of account: Canberra Craft Bookbinders Guild Inc. Bank: Commonwealth (Dickson) BSB No Account no Cheques Please make cheques out to the Canberra Craft Bookbinders Guild Inc. For membership please complete this form and forward with payment to: The Treasurer, Canberra Craft Bookbinders Guild, PO Box 4322, Kingston ACT 2604 Name Address Phone/s