Return to Ippy Patterson's Eden

Title page spread from Ippy Patterson's
Escape from Eden

Some years ago now, a magical opportunity fell into my bookbinding lap. Poet/friend/general facilitator of magical opportunities Jeffery Beam and I had just worked together on a small handbound run of his book, Visions of Dame Kind. When Jeffery learned that his friend and neighbor Ippy Patterson was interested in creating a book out of her recent drawings, Escape from Eden, he put her in touch with me.

You can see from the photos why I was in, immediately. Ippy's rapidograph drawings are stunning, and the visual narrative is perfect for the accordion book format.

We made the first copies of the edition in 2005 (9 or 10 copies, I believe, out of a planned edition of 20), and then took a breather as they made their way into the world. I'm thrilled to be working on a fresh round of copies for some new shows and events that Ippy has coming up later in the year.

An interior page spread from Escape from Eden, by Ippy Patterson

As impressive as the drawings are from page to page, they're even more so when you spread the accordion to its full 10' length.

Escape from Eden, open, by Ippy Patterson

The opposite side of the accordion features a poem that resonates with Ippy's drawing: "Paradise," by Keith Waldrop.

In the first round of binding, we created copies with three different bindings: a beige/gold, a rusty brown, and a burgundy. For the next couple of copies we are sticking to one color: Canapetta's natural cotton/linen bookcloth.

As much as I enjoy making artists' books with my own content, this project is a reminder that sometimes the greater joy is creating a book whose primary purpose is to support and showcase someone else's work, while I slip into the background.

Final page spread from Escape from Eden, by Ippy Patterson.

Opening reception this Sunday afternoon, April 6th, 2:00-4:00

Looks like tomorrow's not going to be quite as beautiful a spring day as today was, but still a great afternoon to come out from hibernation to Pittsboro First Sunday. Lisa Gilbert and I will be at Liquidambar to celebrate the opening of our two-month, two-person show of artists' books and handmade blank books. 

Here's a little preview of a new book that I'll be showing there: I Ching #3: "Difficulty" 

(Please pardon the shadow stripes. This is the best I've been able to edit them out, and can't re-shoot the books because they're currently at the gallery. I'll re-shoot as soon as I have the next copy finished.)

This is the second book I've completed in the I Ching series. Like I Ching #64: "Unfinished," this one is also based on a sumi-e original that I then scanned and made archival inkjet prints of. The covers of each copy are decorated with unique burn and smoke marks, as well as some work done with a soldering iron. It will be an open edition.

Also debuting at the show will be the commercially printed edition of Doctor Mister Miracles's Guide to Miracle-Making: A Manual (Abridged).

Hope you can join us at the reception! If not, though, the show will be up until May 25th so there's plenty of time. You'll even have a chance to join us for another reception at the next First Sunday on the afternoon of May 4th.