handmade books – derrickjknight

Hanging Around Part 2

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For once I have not featured my archive material on a rainy day post, for I had yesterday’s images from Margery’s exhibition that I had not had time to upload last night.

As will be seen from this front page of the promotional leaflet, ‘Hanging Around’ is a prelude to an important exhibition next spring.

I featured a photographic portrait of the artist in ‘Hanging Around Part 1’. The leaflet contains a pen picture.

Here are visiting details for those fortunate enough to be within striking distance.

With work going on around me, I photographed a few of the works at random.

It is only three or four years ago that my sister, Liz Keenan, taught Margery to create handmade books, and she has brought her own stamp to them.

The wonkiness of these images is nothing to do with the hangers, but is all the responsibility of the photographer. Since the pictures had mostly not yet been labelled, I cannot give the titles, but most tell their own story. Margery’s sensitivity shines out of this one that leaves the viewer to supply the subject’s thoughts, which will probably reflect their own.

The Cyclist appears in one of the artist’s small rectangular formats, and amply displays her renowned humour.

We smile with Margery at these two friends staggering home from their hostelry.

Clarke is equally at home with a large scene, making full use of its space.

The year before Margery painted these dancing nuns in 1964, the Belgian Dominican Sister Luc Gabriel, known to us as the Singing Nun, recorded this hit:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n295hjktHD0&w=560&h=315]

Was our friend influenced by this, I wonder? (See Paul’s comment below; and his longer one describing the influences of other pictures)

Even garbage collectors are represented with a sense of fun. How is he going to pick up his lid?

High Steps appears in the leaflet;

as does Pub Interior, displaying the artist’s innate sense of composition and perspective.

It looks as if a joyful greeting is taking place here.

Margery is also capable of dramatic landscapes;

and grand scenes like Assembling In The Square.

She enjoys musical themes

and a chuckle is never far away.

This evening we dined on Jackie’s excellent chilli con carne with rice and peas, followed by lemon meringue pie ice cream. We both drank sparkling water.

The Firs Open Studio

This morning we drove to The Firs to join Elizabeth and Chris for the studio opening day. Someone forgot to replace the electric blue fluorescent light, which added somewhat to the atmosphere. Although the rain fell outside, we were not exactly inundated with visitors. Nevertheless there was a steady trickle and several sales were made, enabling Elizabeth to demonstrate her accounting skills. She has sold three of her handmade books. My tally is one mounted print that now bears a red sticker and nine of my cards, only two of which were bought by my sister.

In my post of 16th January, entitled ‘Gold Hill’ (click here), I tell the story of the taking of the frozen brambles photograph. This clearly demonstrates that the only parts in the production of the two card sales featuring this image that was not played by Jackie were the pressing of the shutter release and the printing of the picture.

Several of the visitors were friends or other artists, so the day was full of congenial conversation, and the inevitable light banter. In particular Jutta Manser and Margery and Paul Clarke stayed some time and partook of Danni’s excellent lemon drizzle cake. Paul also had a sandwich. By coincidence Jutta is a neighbour of Cuff Billett who appears in some of my photographs.

It was exciting seeking out Elizabeth’s mislaid sold stickers and having various attempts at manufacturing alternatives that involved a thin-tipped felt pen. Eventually Lynne went home and came back with gummed red paper that could be used with a hole punch to make diminutive red dots. This meant that sold items had to be inserted into plastic wallets to which the stickers were attached, in order not to damage the product. It also meant that one of Elizabeth’s work surfaces became covered in hole punch confetti. Thus we whiled away the slacker periods.

Back home this evening we dined on Jackie’s dish of minced meat and red kidney beans flavoured with tomatoes, onions, chillis and garlic, served with wild rice and green Kenya beans. She drank Hoegaarden and I drank La Patrie Cahors 2011.

She Does Make Exceedingly Good Books

On another glorious day, I had a wander around the garden of the Lodge, the shrubberies of which are now blooming splendidly. Jackie had spent the morning attending to her little garden on our kitchen corner, after which we drove to The Firs to put in a stint there.

In less than a week the trees lining the M27 have burst into leaf.

Jackie and I and Danni worked on the beds. My task was to mix topsoil, all-purpose compost, and farm compost and apply this as top dressing to weeded beds. In preparation for this the grass edges were trimmed and weeding carried out.

We continue to be pleased with the fruits of last year’s work, if only because the really heavy work has all been done. There are examples of serendipity, usually created by self-seeded primroses, such as their coordination with epimedium, or their contrast with forget-me-nots. And there are happy results of planting, such as the numerous tulips planted everywhere.

I was particularly pleased with those I had bought at last year’s Bishop’s Waltham Garden Fair.

They have all come up again, in a bed which didn’t exist a month or so before they were planted.

Danni took the opportunity to photograph Jackie and me taking a break.

While the serfs slaved, the lady of the manor sat in the shade making beautiful little books for the planned summer exhibition. In fairness to Elizabeth, who normally gets stuck in with the rest of us, she is recovering from a general anaesthetic and minor ENT operation and, like Mr. Kipling and his cakes, she ‘does make exceedingly good’ books.

Danni made an excellent sausage casserole meal which we enjoyed with the assistance of red wines and, of course, for she who will be nameless, Hoegaarden. A delightful Berry Bliss from the Co-op was for afters.

The low sun was blinding along the motorway as we drove west to home. As is now quite common a handful of deer dashed across the road in front of us in the vicinity of Shave Wood.

When she had finished driving and we settled back home, I poured Jackie a complimentary. Others would call this a Bailey’s. We have renamed it in line with the custom of many local Indian restaurants who offer us a complimentary drink, usually a Bailey’s, after our meal.