Sunday 24 October, from 11.00 to 17.00 . Werkstatt Palette, Lüderichstraße 8, 51105 Köln. More information here.

Bookbinding Fair in Leiden, the Netherlands

Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 November. Saturday 10.00-17.00, Sunday 11.00-17.00. St.Pieterskerk, Leiden. For more information, see here or mail here.

From technical issues to putting together a whole manuscript book.  Because – half of the satisfaction is that you made it. The other half is that you will soon be able to hold your brainchild in your arms.

For one person at a time. On appointment. Hourly rate (minimum 30 min. , maximum 1,5 hrs) , including prepared tuition and handouts, excluding materials.

NEW! For our faraway friends: One to one e-consulting! Mail me for further directions, with the title “e-consulting”.

authentic Tibetan manuscript

A new workshop series is starting late October 2010, with the theme “Artist’s books with book structures from different cultures and times”.

The workshops will be given in the weekends. You can pick out one or more workshops from the series, or follow the full course with a discount. Further information will follow.

Een nieuwe serie van workshops gaat van start v.a. eind oktober 2010. De thema is “Artist’s books – boeken als kunst, met boekband structuren van verschillende culturen en tijden” .

De workshops worden gegeven in de weekeinden. Men kan een of meer workshops apart volgen, of , met korting, de gehele cursus voltooien. Meer informatie volgt.

“Challenge yourself every day to achieve what you could not do yesterday. This takes commitment & time. Avoid complacency!

Only then might you understand. I have greatest respect for the maturity and life experience of my students, who are still generally older than me and have raised families etc. Their experience gives them enviable wisdom, although it also seems to deny most of the raw passion to take calligraphy farther. Hence complacency in the field, given the sad fact almost no younger people with more energy and more commitment (even if less wisdom) are coming in to complement and challenge the wisdom of mature practitioners. So, I challenge you- all of you- to find a way to communicate your passion to a teenager strongly and effectively enough for them to catch the bug… and carry a torch to change the world of calligraphy just as the world is always changing. This would seem to me a more worthwhile pursuit than t aspire to make a perfect “o”…. Take on that challenge … and give it tine- it may make all the difference…”

A quick note for all of you who are making things and selling their creations. This winter/spring I’ve found two blogs that are just too good to keep to myself:

Crafting an MBA: business thinking for designers & makers

and

Tara Gentile: write well, create often

Enjoy!

PS. New links via Facebook!

The Crafts Report

and

Get Clients Marketing en Aquisitie tips (in Dutch)

These are large – 29 x 22cm or 11 1/2 x 8 3/4 inches – journals/sketchbooks with flexible leather covers. The books are bound on leather thongs, which slot through the limp leather cover, and are glued down and, in the case of two books, also stitched through the cover.

The books have the same vintage endpapers.

Pages are of an artist quality drawing paper in a light caramel color (light yellow-brown).

Further detailing: edges of covers have a gold/silver coloured lining, and the books have leather endbands.

These books would be a perfect artist’s/designer’s working journal or as an outdoors notebook.

For more photos of each book, go to the online shop.

list of suppliers

Nina Judin May 2010

paper and artist’s materials

van Beek Art Supplies
Stadhouderskade 63-65
1072 AD Amsterdam
020-6621 670
www.vanbeekonline.com
sales@vanbeekart.com

van Beek Design & DTP Supplies
Weteringschans 201-205
1017 XG Amsterdam
020-623 9647

Cortina Papier
Reestraat 22
1016 DN Amsterdam
020- 6236676

Damen “Papier Royaal”
Noordeinde 186
2514 GR Den Haag
070-360 0166

Peter van Ginkel
Bilderdijkstraat  99
1053 KM Amsterdam
020-618 9827

Hoopman
Marnixstr.47
1015 VA Amsterdam
020-624 6045

Levant
Levantkade 85
1019 MJ Amsterdam
020-419 9618

Paper mill De Middelste Molen
Kanaal Zuid 499
7371 GL Loenen op de Veluwe
055-505 2911

van der linde
Rozengracht 36-38
1016 NC Amsterdam
020-624 2791

Vlieger
Amstel 34
1017 AB Amsterdam
020-623 5834

parchment and leather

Z.H. de Groot (perkament)
Heemraadssingel 255a
3023 CE Rotterdam
010-4253924

more

Boekie Woekie , artist’s books
Berenstraat 16
1016 GH Amsterdam
020-6390507

Minotaurus Bookshop
St. Antoniesbreestraat 3d
postbus 16477
1001 RN Amsterdam
tel. +31(0)20 6227748
www.minotaurusboekwinkel.nl

Museum Meermanno
Prinsessegracht 30
2514 AP Den Haag
070- 3462700
www.meermanno.nl

Royal Library
Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5
2595 BE Den Haag
www.kb.nl

and – you can of course buy some hand tools and bookbinding materials at our atelier!

A circle closes

For the current exhibition in Putten (NL) I was looking more closely at my artist’s books. As it is an retrospective exhibition, the manuscript books I made during my BA study in London, also came out of their protective boxes and wraps. And along came the memories.

In the time of making these books I was overwhelmed with inspiration, and so enthusiastic I couldn’t sleep. There was something so incredibly joyous in the intuitive recognition of making them, however long it took to get the materials, writing and the illustrations “right”, complimenting eachother. And then, the pleasure of binding a book and making a box for the whole creation. With the first book I ran out of time, and its simplistic binding and protective enveloppe had to do the job. With the second manuscript also the finishing touches were in balance with the overall feel of the book.

In the past years I have made more manuscript books, which you can see in the exhibition, and some of them also on my website. And more will come.

The title of my post refers to re-connecting with the strong rush of creative inspiration, and also to that specific time. “A circle closes” because on an evening  I found a speech on the internet (read it here) by Ewan Clayton, who taught us calligraphy at Roehampton.

He taught us the importance of cohesion. The importance of being connected with our past and future at the same time. And that the cultural, but also the environmental (as in climate, landscape, infrastructure) surroundings you currently find yourself in, influence your work. And perhaps the most essential part: he pointed out the importance of being connected with yourself, being aware of your state of mind, when working.

I was so happy, reading the speech. He , together with my bookbinding teacher Jen Lindsay, marked the beginning of this circle that now touches its beginpoint – the rush of creative enthousiasm and inspired recognition – and moves upwards in a spiral.

For more internet inspiration on the subject “tradition meets contemporary”, check out these links: http://www.design.nl/item/post_fossil_back_to_the_future

http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/14/water-resistant-furniture-made-from-paper-pulp/

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Exhibition

The exhibition at the Kunstkelder in Putten, Netherlands opened on  23^rd of April and will go on until 22 May. The two co-exhibitors are Riet Harmse (textile panels) and Stieni Foppen (paintings). On show is a retrospect of my work, with the titel “Eventually everything becomes a book” . For more information (in Dutch), follow this link.

Adventure and fairytales

Adventure and fairytales – this is the realm that gives my work its soul. I see my books as vessels to pour stories into.

The journals are for the future owner to use and make their own. As a working journal, notebook, travel journal… The books will only get more character when handled. Carry them with you. Use them. Leather gets patina and glow when used. Read more about the journals here.

The artist’s books, as mentioned above, are inner landscapes of my own. But there is more! Read here about commissioning an artist’s book.

Teaching

One-to-one consultancy sessions have proven to be a very efficient way to reach a specific goal, from technical issues to putting together a whole manuscript book.  Because – half of the satisfaction is that you made it, right?

A workshop on palm leaf bindings (background and creative approach) is taking place in the weekend of 12 and 13 of June. Read more about it here.

Enjoy!

Nina

PS. Do you have friends who might like to read this Newsletter? Do mail it forward!