Ongoing work, started in 2018 during the course of a particularly cold winter, aimed at learning how to use natural dyes from a variety of sources. In these experiments, hues inherent to dyes are enhanced by pairing them with different fibers.
Cochineal, cutch, henna, indigo, weld, lac, logwood, and marigold dye experiments on bookbinding thread and handmade papers from abaca, cotton, and flax. Post binding enclosed in a matching Japanese portfolio enclosure; fitted clamshell box with partial fourth wall.
Weddings, in all the joy and potential they hold, are a wonderful occasion for creativity. On this page are examples of projects I’ve completed for a variety of celebrations: a hand-bound photo album to document the moments—big and small—in a shared life; a Quacker-style marriage certificate; a small, handmade box to hold a pair of wedding bands on the day of a ceremony; a framed piece signed with messages of love and support by guests at a reception; a program cover for a wedding mass. Other custom projects include an album and matching box set I designed for a traditional Chinese wedding.
Are you looking for a unique, custom gift for an upcoming wedding? Have something in mind for your own ceremony or celebration? Get in touch! I’m excited to learn about your ideas.
This project was inspired by the careful exercise of collecting and processing vestiges for another project (Fragments in Red, in Blue) for which I punched confetti from handmade and hand-dyed papers over many days and weeks. Determined not to let the handcrafted paper scraps go to waste, I created a piece whose sole purpose is to highlight a sense of satisfaction: satisfaction to hold, open, discover, and touch.
2018. Confetti from handmade, naturally-dyed, and hand-punched papers from abaca, cotton, and flax. Arranged by color in small glass vials, enclosed in a tray and fitted Japanese portfolio box.
The Man from the Moon: letterpress-printed literary broadside from handset metal type (Van Dijck & Bulmer) and metal ornaments.
2017. Rubber-based ink, acrylic, and beeswax on Sakamoto paper; pochoir and stenciling. 7¼” x 9”
Le Dénouement: calligraphic broadside of the final scene from Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, in the original French.
2017. Gouache on Hahnemühle Ingres paper. 24¾” x 18¾”
Fallen: gouache on indigo Cave paper.
2018. Limp paper case binding with proofs from The Man from the Moon.
This book is inspired by Stephen Hawking's writing on black holes in his popular 1988 title A Brief History of Time. Each aspect of this book — the modified case binding, the monochromatic palette, the progressive distortion of letterforms from page spread to page spread — works to suggest the mystery and unknowable vastness of the cosmological phenomenon that are black holes.
Text used with permission of the estate of Stephen Hawking.
2017. Gouache on Hahnemühle Ingres paper; embroidery thread, book cloth, book board. Modified hardcover single-section binding structure. 10¼” x 10¼” x ¼”