dandelions

I've finally got round to taking some pictures of some of the books I made for the artist's book fair back in when was it, March. Thought you might like to see them. The book I am most pleased with is the one about dandelions...


The drawings were done on a lovely sunny day, whilst weeding and dreaming in my garden. At the moment it's an overgrown mess, but one day it will be a little paradise I hope.

Its screen printed in dark brown and white, I made the background by painting indian ink on tracing paper over the drawings. This can then be exposed directly to the screen which I think gives it a directness often lost on computer generated images (or perhaps its that I'm no good at computers, who knows) I think its the first screen print I have made that I'm actually pleased with...


After looking through the book the back cover opens to reveal behind the weeds a little plan of my garden, how it is now not how it will be when its done... and then the plan lifts up to show a careful drawing of the dirt that was left in the fold of my sketch book when I finally put the dandelions on the compost heap. You can see more pics here


The whole this can be opened completely to look at all the weeds at once. I've got one framed on my desk to remind me. Go out and do the weeding.

Wednesday

I can't wait for summer. Specifically some free time in summer to work on new prints and books. I think the light evenings are finally getting through to my brain, and I'm starting to try and spend time in my studio after work, starting to have free time at lunch times to make prints...

I seem to have spent the last few months starting things and never finishing them, not being able to motivate myself, not feeling like anything is worth it. I know this is just how it goes, but at the time that doesn't seem to help. But in the last few days I've looked at the piles of cover-less books and screen printing positives and notes scrawled on scraps on my shelves and felt not overwhelmed but perhaps a little bit inspired to make a start on them again...

Today I sewed a book, the finished thing feels good in my hands.


And I wonder what I could do if I felt motivated all the time?!