ABCD January 2023

Thanks to Thalia for the use of her account, eight members of Artists’ Book Club Dove met on Zoom this morning, to catch up on our doings since the last meeting, and to learn from Bron how to make a “Massimo Book”, a very versatile and flexible structure with folios sewn onto the valleys and peaks of an accordion-fold spine. It can be displayed flat or standing or hung on a wall. Ideal for the ACE exhibition space. We’ll be showing our work there 3-10 June this year.

Clare showed us some pages from a thick sketchbook of watercolours from her annual visit to Scilly in September. The wonderful sea colours, turquoise and Mediterranean blue, reminded me of my recent (October) visit to the West coast and islands of Scotland.

Nina has made a “Dream Book”.

Judy sent photos of her Massimo book “Blue”, and a recent mokuhanga print.

Pauline has made two beautiful buttonhole books.

Thalia is gathering materials and experimenting with a dream book, letting herself be guided by the materials, the shapes and patterns they make and the way they want to work.

Judith is using a sewing machine to sew photographs together. The reverse side is as interesting as the image side. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

Bron has made a very satisfying buttonhole book of tree-dye recipes and samples.

I (Ama) have at last finished the (plant-dyed and handwritten) pages for my buttonhole book. I hope to have bound it before our next meeting on February 4th. Meanwhile, here are today’s gleanings from my notebook.

January Dove-droppings

every day the wrong day
more difficult and risky
more floods coming

here be dragons
it’s a place of good colours
big boulders and windswept trees

stairwell
which is Purgatorio
when everything’s on hold

save the blue and gold
for heaven
three stitches for a rune

it’s frozen
in the valleys and the peaks
the bees and the undergrowth

don’t cut anything off
go big
go forth