THE BIRD WOMAN

Following on from my body of work on the character of the Bird Woman, I made this concertina book which features a series of obsessively detailed, dark drawings of women with beaks & wings, and bird dressed in clothing,  with human characteristics. Inspired by found photographs and bird watching guides, this book was especially made for the Grand Plasto-Baader Books exhibition at Kaleid Editions, Shoreditch.

The original was sold to a private collector. Ten hard-backed facsimilies were made with brown book cloth covers and porcelain bird skulls. Four are still available, priced at £35 each.

 

PIGEONS IN THE FUTURE

Kaleid Editions invited a number of book artists to respond to Harold Wilson's White Heat of Technology speech of 1963 for their exhibition White Heat. Having extensively read pigeon breeding handbooks from this time, and researched WWII accounts of pigeons employed in subterfuge and intelligence operations, I created a book of lino prints which celebrated the pigeon in a series of futuristic and unlikely feats of bravery, skill and endurance. 

Produced as a limited edition of 10 hand-printed, hard-backed and hand-bound concertina books.

 

BUTTERFLIES & MOTHS

This delicate, paper cut book was inspired by my father's butterfly collection, which he assembled as a youth and was housed in a wooden cabinet especially made by my grandfather. The collection plays a part in my family history, as it was a key point of discussion when my parents very first met. As a child I was allowed to occasionally and very carefully open the drawers to peek inside, reading the delicate handwritten labels kept in place by fine pins. However, one day the butterflies had gone and all that was left were tiny, dusty heaps.

I identified eight butterflies & moths from my father's log, & traced them from his handbook, then produced a series of fine paper cuts which I hand-bound in an edition of 10,  all of which have now sold. A copy was bought for the Tate Artists' Book Collection.

 

SOMETIMES I DANCE AROUND THE HOUSE ON MY OWN

I have always collected (hoarded?) photographs, old negatives and slides, and the invention of digital photography has seen my archive of found and research images swell dramatically. Using 'Photo Booth', on my mac over a period of several months I photographed myself as I danced around the house. I used these as the basis for a series of fine detailed line drawings, which I bound as single sheets, using a traditional and simple Japanese binding.

THE ORNITHOLOGIST

This was the first small-editioned book that I made: a lino print wordless narrative based on my two cats (fierce hunters) who caught garden birds for their own private taxidermy collection.  I had just left college, so had limited resources, and both printed and dried the images on the kitchen floor.

The first edition was a folded 'beak book'.  Later I made a hard-backed concertina version, a few of which are still available. I have also produced a limited number of individual prints on archival quality Fabriano paper.

 

UNBUTTONED: MY GRANDMOTHER'S COAT

At a period when I was rather overwhelmed by my jumble of possessions and informal collections (I moved three times in just over a year, and many of my belongings were in storage), I made this book work.

Many objects of little or no use that I was unable to throw away were included in (or formed) a number of handmade and altered books, presented within especially made pockets in the lining of my late grandmother's coat. Objects included a broken china horse, cut-outs from Twinkle magazine, unsuccessful knitting attempts & an unread poetry book.

The coat was exhibited at First Edition, and Journeys at London College of Communication, & was later selected for long-term display for the Head of College's office.