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Binding • 28.5 x 20.5 x 2
The boards are of irregular layers of handmade paper
pressed over board, heavily sanded with a flail bit and
power drill, stained and worked repeatedly to a
smooth finish. The spine is formed of concertinafolded,
alum-tawed goatskin. Textured doublures and
endpapers, with embossed mirror images of a fossil
shell at the front are airbrushed, with colour fading towards
the text block. Head is airbrushed to blend with
cover colouration; part-gilded areas in gold and palladium.
Silk head and tail bands to match either end.
Container • 31 x 22.5 x 6
Treatment of outer surfaces as the binding, though
more worn; two halves jointed centrally with alumtawed
goatskin; interior of cream silk over padded lining
and partly hidden images of shell forms; the inner
edges are of ruched silk; the finger lift tab is alumtawed
goatskin. The two halves open flat upside
down to form two 'flagstones'.
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Concept
I always notice flagstones in churches and cathedrals
with their well-trodden, worn forms that reveal variations
in the structure. Colours vary considerably but
I wanted a foil to some of the other bindings, whilst
trying to find an appropriate colour and texture for
the owner. I also pare my leather on a large lithographic
stone of Bavarian limestone and love its silkysmooth
surface contrasting with the riven edges. I
wanted to evoke something of the hard, cool nature
of limestone, contrasting with its chalky origins (the
alum-tawed skin for spines and tab); the hidden
aspects of the creatures that had contributed to its
characteristics with the fossil shells and ammonitelike
forms (the fossil impressions were made from an
actual fossil found on Mull) and the effects of weathering
and wearing.
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