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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Detail of etched front cover of one of the books with aluminium rivets |
As you might be aware from
my Friday blog post Fiona and I have been working together on a set of large freestanding outdoor artists' books. We agreed that we would both post on the books today - but I'm sure you'll agree that
Fiona gives a different perspective.
We did the metal cutting, calligraphy and etching on Wednesday.
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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Fiona doing the calligraphy in shellac |
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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Fiona doing the calligraphy in shellac |
On Saturday Fiona was away doing print related stuff so I agreed to rivet the pages together so we could then open them together today.
Because I was going to use some 9mm thick aluminium rivets I picked up from a garage sale years ago I had to make some riveting tools to fit the rivets. These were made out of a couple of discarded cold-chisels.
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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Home made riveting tools for 9mm aluminium rivets |
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - Aluminium sheets ready for etching with shellac resist and one etched page in the background |
I was about to start the drilling and riveting when I remembered that the resist paint on the back of the pages needed to be removed. I was going to buy some automotive spirits but forgot - so given there was no car to drive into town I tried petroleum - smelt bad but it worked.
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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Removing paint resist with unleaded petrol |
The riveting went well as you can see from the photo below.
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| ©2016 Barry Smith - Riveted books - ready for opening |
And before lunch today Fiona and I used a bit of innovation and physical strength to bend the pages into place.
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - Large book clamped ready to be opened |
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - Two books opened (imagine peace book is 600mm long and 400mm high, dream peace book is 600mm high and 400mm wide). |
The final set of three books was photographed in a few settings - they have worked out well.
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - There peace books opened (the large book - peace is every step is 800mm high and 600mm wide) - on the gravel outside the shed - studio-gallery |
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - Three books on the car turning deck |
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| ©2016 Fiona Dempster - Books in the landscape - on the footbridge on the terraces below the house. |
Fiona and I have wanted to make this installation-sculptural set of artists' books for many years and the metal has been there to do the work - it is funny how one commission job provided us with the encouragement to move and achieve the outcome. The theme of the books is peace - etched into the middle page are: imagine peace, dream peace and peace is every step (TCH).
