Seeking Solitude

As I began this book, I knew I wanted to challenge myself and push myself. I wanted to go places I might not normally go. Working with Susan gave me the confidence to get out there a bit more; she has such a beautiful eye and sense of design that I knew she would bring wonderful things to the collaboration to support my adventures (and rescue me if needed).

I also decided early I wanted to work with the hermit-wanderer words I had discovered a few weeks ago. This little truth about myself has become important to me and my understanding of self and I expect that I will work my way thru quite a few pieces that use it.

I also just wanted to use up some of the stacks that were lying around the studio - and these long, Hannemuhle Bamboo (265gsm) pages were offcuts from another project that I kept thinking I should do something with. This seemed the perfect opportunity to go for it!  I don't usually work this large...

Susan worked on four of the nine pages I had prepared.  I had worked out I needed six pages to do the writing - by breaking up the text so that it flowed naturally over the pages.  At the end of day one, that meant I needed to work out how to use her four pages and add in at least two more of mine.  I ended up adding in four more of mine and a single sheet of tracing paper in the middle.

I think that is one of the many differences between calligraphy and art.  In a way, a book of art images doesn't have a pre-ordained number of pages; yet when I think calligraphy, I immediately work out how the text will flow and how many pages I need. There is much more planning with calligraphy that in other forms of art I find.

It was part of the process that I didn't tell her I had planned for six pages - we each wanted the other to respond as they felt they could to what we had presented. Like I initially felt I couldn't work into her etching pages. But in the end I did!

The first and last pages are mine - with ink lines, and then other ink swirls added. Each page is totally encased in tracing paper and I ran several lines of machine stitching through them. They are quiet and subdued.

I then sequenced the pages the best I could to link Susan's pages to the words - to have the sense of rest and movement linked to the pages she had created.  I also included two of my own pages in the sequence, and the single tracing paper page to mark the middle.

I decided to pretty much stitch down the tracing paper Susan included on her pages - each of her pieces is fully held; whereas the tracing paper on my pages is able to be lifted and moved around. A subtle differentiation between the two of us. It was interesting how I tried  to bring my own voice back into the book and make these little decisions that in my head at least, meant that this bit was mine; this bit was hers.

After chatting about a pebble - the one Susan saw had a "p" written on it, I wondered about which letter I would use, or would I use a blank white pebble or would I use a white pebble with a line across it, and would my pebble still fit when I had stitched the book together or would it be lost and would I need to find another pebble?  Would I grade the cut outs so that it looked like an excavation to get to the final pebble or would I cut all the holes the same size? So many questions and design decisions. About a pebble. I do love how the threads wrap over it and around it a times. Sigh.

The book finishes with the line "at rest" and the pebble is a lovely little reminder of a quiet resting place, just as you finish the book.

 And we each embossed our marks into each book, but signed our books just ourselves.

It's almost an impossible book to photograph so I will stick mostly with the details - but here are two pages - the entry page and another.

And a final detail.

I promise you I'll get over my infatuation and onto some new work very soon!