Japanese box making

I attended a Japanese box making workshop a short while ago, offered by Suzan Lee from the local chapter of CBBAG.

Bookmaking, printing and publishing

Over the summer, I had the good fortune of visiting three book arts, bookmaking and book printing/publishing events in Vancouver for the first time.

The first was the CBBAG Lower Mainland's 2015 Book Arts Fair which was held on June 20 at the Main Branch of the Vancouver Public Gallery. Visitors were able to "see, touch and buy  bookbinding, letterpress, altered books, artist’s journal, calligraphy, paper arts and mixed arts ", with up to up to 18 book artists and book arts suppliers will be displaying and their works.

Photo from the website: https://vanbookarts.wordpress.com

On October 17, I attended the Vancouver Art/Book Fair put on by Project Space and held at the Vancouver Art Gallery Annex. Two rooms with close to 70 exhibitors: book artists, book and zine publishers, etc.

Image from the website: http://2015.vancouverartbookfair.com/#program

On October 31, the Alcuin Society held its annual Wayzgoose event with more than 25 exhibitors, including book artists and publishers, wood engravers, paper marblers (traditional and japanese).

Image from the website: http://alcuinsociety.com/the-wayzgoose-is-coming-2/

I came away with an exquisite sheet of hand-marbled paper. I was drawn to its organic, flesh-coloured shapes and the residual fluid flowlines of the second pass.

Detail of a hand-marbled (double-dipped) sheet of paper by Phyllis Greenwood. 

More recommended books

The following are great books I've read or am in the process of reading:

Advanced Encaustics workshop in Victoria

Earlier this week, I attended a 2-day Advanced encaustics workshop in Victoria led by Leah Macdonald. It was a nice follow-up to last year's Introduction to encaustics workshop. We worked with different types of papers (thin Japanese paper to thicker, more textured papers). Of course, I preferred the Japanese paper because of its thinness and translucency once infused with wax.

Wood Nymph, pigment ink & pencil on Fabriano cold press,
infused with yellow beeswax, oil paint, leaves,  9.5 x 13 in, 2014

Untitled, pigment ink on Asuka washi,
infused with yellow beeswax, handmade paper, oil paint, 10 x 14.5 in, 2014

We also did one piece on a wood substrate.

Alien Contact, pigment ink, Kozo washi & Hahnemuhle Rag on wood panel,
infused with beeswax, oil paint, leaf, 10 x 14 x ½ in, 2014

We also explored making a simple waxed book using discarded and test prints, fabrics, thread, etc.

Suminagashi

I recently purchased a very practical and inspiring book on suminagashi (floating/spilled ink), the ancient Japanese art of marbling by dropping Chinese/India ink on the surface of water, then transferring the pattern to paper. Unlike the Western techniques of marbling, the process is very simple and does not require an additive to thicken the water, nor a dispersant to make the ink separate and expand. The 80-page book, containing 64 illustrations (38 in colour), was written by Anne Chambers, with a Foreword by Akira Kurosaki.

Suminagashi: The Japanese Art of Marbling: A Practical Guide
Anne Chambers, New York: Thames & Hudson, 1991

 Many years ago, I first explored suminagashi for use as a cover for a limited edition flutterbook of short freestyle poems entitled iro—colours. I have recently become interested once again, this time in order to create end papers for a limited edition flutterbook I am working on. It will feature a poem and archival inkjet prints about a forest nymph, printed on wax infused Japanese kozo paper.

Front cover of iro—colours by the author, 1987