Red Deer Sleeping booklets in blue
Printing more Red Deer Sleeping booklets specially for Sanctum Bristol with metal type blind deboss printed on the Adana 8x5.
Letterpress cards - Red Deer Sleeping
Red Deer Sleeping cards for Sanctum Bristol. Hand carved rubber stamp print. Metal type blind deboss printed on the Adana 8x5.
Red Deer Sleeping cards for sanctumbristol
Letterpress Workshop with Kate and James
New Clarendon
James exploring typesetting with 10pt New Clarendon with a composing stick. Placing furniture and locking the type in the chase with quoins and quoin key. Printing the type on the Adana 8 x 5 using gold letterpress ink on white card stock.
Futura Berthold
Kate exploring typesetting with Futura Berthold. Typesetting directly into the chase. Placing furniture and locking type in the chase. Printing the type on the Adana 8 x 5 using gold letterpress ink on 100% recycled card stock.
Netsuke - Goldfish
Back in April, when I was searching The British Museum's website netsuke collection, I found a beautiful bulbous orange goldfish. I wanted to draw this striking creature but it was not available at the time. Instead I bought The British Museum's book "Netsuke - 100 Miniature Masterpieces” by Noriko Tsuchiya and found a full colour closeup of the same goldfish. I made a drawing from the photograph and then a carving on magnolia wood. I printed the key block with Japanese carbon ink on white Hosho paper. Since January I have been making prints with Japanese carbon ink, enjoying the blackness of the ink against the white paper. Focusing on my carving technique. I have been inspired by Shiko Munakata's passion for black and white prints and I haven't ventured into multi-colour prints. Only a brief play with the Orchids and the Boats in the Sand at Paul Furneaux's workshop.
Orange
This Goldfish netsuke is orange. I think about making a second carving to give this goldfish print an orange body. And then I stop and I wonder why I didn’t feel compelled to make the Horse Grazing a warm chestnut? Why not make the Elephant and Man glow with that dark golden patina? Or the Ape Clutching a Gourd, mahogany? Maybe something resonates here in Victoria Finlay's chapter on orange in her book 'Colour - Travels through the Paintbox’.
“Orange - is the most eye catching colour and - in Cremona’s city hall it is the orange violin which jumps out straight away, shouting: ‘Look at me first!; the yellow and brown ones don’t make the same demands - I drove into Cremona on a warm day in August, to find out how one particular orange can - perhaps - make musical instruments sing.”
I think about Naoko Matsubara's beautiful fiery orange and pink woodblock prints of dancers, Inari and Maiko. Orange is singing to me and I am again brought back to that moment where the main character, Mataichi, from Kanoko Okamoto's book 'A Riot of Goldfish', opens the lid to view his goldfish.
“But soon there bobbed into view, like a Corpulent French beauty or a graceful and majestic woman of the Tempyo era, a round body, eyes, and a mouth with eyebrows, that made you want to paint them.”
Black on White
I'm not ready for colour today but as I follow the path of black on white, I hold these whispers of orange on the horizon.
“It is the secret of knowing yourself and your materials so well that you can wrap your life’s experiences into the very body of an instrument, just as a true musician puts his or her life experiences into the playing of it - and when both elements are right, the together - maker and musician - you can persuade your violin to sing and cry and dance the orange.”
Goldfish woodblock
Red Deer Sleeping - Letterpress booklets
Sanctum Bristol
New booklets recently printed for my other project red deer sleeping. The booklets were made specifically for Sanctum Bristol. Each booklet cover is printed on the Adana 8x5 with wood and metal type. The text inside the booklet is digitally printed.
Last Saturday 31st October at 10.45pm, red deer sleeping performed songs of love and nature at Sanctum Bristol.
“This autumn, a remarkable structure will rise up from within the bombed out remains of Temple Church in Bristol. For 24 days, this 14th century site will be transformed into an intimate gathering place in which to hear the city like never before – Sanctum will be open from 6pm on Thursday 29th October to 6pm on Saturday 21st November, 24 hours a day. The schedule will always remain secret until the end of each day. Entrance is free.”