A Green Tapestry

                       I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. 

RUTH STOUT, garden writer (1884-1980)

In The Green Tapestry, (Simon and Schuster, 1989), Beth Chatto describes gardening as an exercise in arranging textural shades of green plants to create architecture and interest in the garden. Every spring teaches this lesson but always in a slightly different fashion depending on winter extremes, spring rainfall, and daily temperatures. This year due to a mild winter and plenty of rain the perennial garden is lush and verdant.

Working in the garden is a way to take a break from my book work, to relax and get some physical activity while creating something beautiful. This year it has inspired a small quilt entitled, Green Fields, a 4 by 6 foot lap quilt. Happy Spring!

Thanks for reading this blog, Nancy Leavitt  www.nancyleavitt.com

My bookdealer, Priscilla Juvelis www.juvelisbooks.com

Back at work

Box and loose signatures

Thank you to all who sent good wishes during my recuperation. I am humbled by the many kindnesses which people offered. Thank you.

Not being able to work for three months has made me appreciative and happy to be able to work again. Below are images of manuscript book number 101, Sunscapes.

The bright pasted pages have been maturing in my paper drawers for 5 years or more so I pulled them out and added the text. The main text of the book is taken from a publication by Steelcase, Inc.  The first page opens with a description of the life that sunlight affords earth and us. It reads: “It marks the length of our days and the shifting of the seasons, locking us into the rhythmical nature of life. We respond to it both culturally and biologically, following patterns that date to the beginning of time.”

    The book is composed of Arches text wove paper with lettering and painting under (acrylic paint) and over (gouache and watercolor paints) the pasted sheets. The sun motifs are inspired by children’s drawings and rock petroglyphs. The unbound book of 7 signatures is 13 inches tall by 8.75 inches wide with 50 painted and lettered pages.  It is housed in  a fabric covered clamshell box lined with paste paper. Early spring 2012.

   

Until next time, Nancy

www.nancyleavitt.com                       Nancy’s bookdealer’s website www.juvelisbooks.com

Laying low

While I recuperate from my illness I will be suspending blog updates for a few months.

See you soon, Nancy

website: www.nancyleavitt.com

my bookdealer’s website: www.juvelisbooks.com

 

 

The Healing Mind

From left: Nancy, Lily and Bix.

Dear Friends, I write this blog entry from a very different location than I usually do. For the past month I have been in the hospital with pneumonia. I have forgotten what fresh air smells like, the taste of home cooking, and my pups. Still, I am so grateful to have excellent care, my own room, and a window, which overlooks an old dam where the cold salty Atlantic mixes with the fresh water of the Penobscot River. And, on a couple of occasions my pups Lily and Bix have stopped in for short visits. Although they look very serious about my condition, they are acutely focused on small treats I have in my hand.

Throughout this ordeal, the one beacon that offers hope is my mind. . . I find myself constantly focusing on the patterns of floor tiles and curtains, the colors and patterns of nursing smocks, and my desire to sketch and draw what I am dreaming. No matter how delusional I become with fever and pain, my mind is still looking for some kind of Gestalt or connection between what is happening to my body and mind. It will take 6 to 8 months for my body to be back to normal but my mind is okay and will continue to work as my body heals. I’ll keep working.

I’ll write next month. In the meantime, thank you for reading this blog and take care.

 

Nancy’s website: www.nancyleavitt.com

Bookseller, Priscilla Juvelis: www.juvelisbooks.com

 

The Calligraphic Library – books I return to time and again

The books in my library are more than acquisitions – they are my working companions.   My library is filled with poetry and literature, reference books (dictionaries and encyclopedias), and books on lettering and bookbinding.  We reread books to find information missed in the first reading.  By returning to my books I hope to be re-informed and attain a deeper understanding of what I already practice.  Like listening to music over and over again, I revisit books to be re-inspired by familiar stories and illustrations.  And sometimes, it is just the familiarity of the size and shape and weight of a particular book in my hand that I am seeking.  There is great discovery in re-reading. Here are a few photos of my library.

  Shelves hold books of poetry and prose and reference books on bookbinding, craft, dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a selection of cookbooks.

 

 

 

Reference books on art and mathematics and calligraphy and design.

Below a portfolio of Edward Johnston’s: Manuscript and Inscription Letters Portfolio for Schools and Classes and for the use of Craftsmen.

Thank you for reading this blog.  I wish you a new year filled with discovery, Nancy Leavitt

Nancy’s website: www.nancyleavitt.com

Nancy’s bookdealer: www.juvelisbooks.com

 

Milestone – 100 hand lettered book titles

mile·stone/ˈmīlˌstōn/noun: A stone set up beside a road to mark the distance in miles to a particular place. An action or event marking a significant change or stage in development.

This autumn I reached a personal milestone – the completion of my 100^th hand lettered book.  And, when I include hand-lettered editions, the number rises to well over 200 books.  Like many artists, I work alone.   Solitude offers a space to think and the freedom to proceed at will.  Working solo also means keeping the books, cleaning the studio, and occasionally celebrating a milestone.

So, how does one celebrate personal milestones? For me, it will be a quiet celebration with little fanfare.  Mostly, I have looked back and acknowledged what I have created and am continuing to move forward.  Included in this blog is a description of my 100th title with images.

Dry Stone Walls, 2011, 84 pages, 8 x 11 inches (W x H) This book, a commission, was designed around the theme of dry stone walls, and in particular, the song lyrics of “These Dry Stone Walls” by Dave Goulder.  The book is composed in three parts including: a narrative on the geological history of England, Goulder’s song lyrics, and instructions on how to assemble a dry stone wall.  The additional text was researched and written by the artist.

The painting and lettering done in watercolor and gouache with brushes, metal pens, and quills on Katie MacGregor handmade paper.  Joelle Leavitt Webber of Mermaid Bindery bound the book in MacGregor paper and made the box.

This book is the artist’s 100^th hand-lettered title. Stillwater, Maine © 2011

I wish you all a Happy Holiday and a Bright New Year, Nancy

website: www.nancyleavitt.com   bookdealer’s website: www.juvelisbooks.com

Jigs – helpful tools

On a recent dog walk I noticed a strip of paper with the words “Lettering and Centering Ruler” caught up on a tree branch.  It was a jig for centering headlines for a poster up to 30 inches wide. The subtitle read, “Relax! It’s not as hard as you think.”

The exact origin of the word ‘jig’ is unknown.  It is thought to have come from the French giguer, “to dance” and to most it means a lively dance in triple time.  In the hand of a crafts person however, a jig is a device or template used to hold work in place or, for guiding a tool. Calligraphers and bookbinders make and use jigs for any number of book making activities. Using a jig or a premeasured template is easier, quicker, and more precise than measuring and marking each time with a ruler, especially when doing repetitive activities. Below are a few examples of the types of jigs I use in assembling a manuscript book.

This layout jig is made of mat board. The frame has been cut to a specified page layout for a book.  I simply place the frame on the recto and trace around the inside of the frame with a pencil and then flip to the verso and repeat.  This marks off the page margins and encloses the page area for lettering and painting.

Lettering jigs are placed on either side of a page and the writing lines are ruled in where marked.

A 2-ply board jig is used to emboss and de-boss curvilinear lines and creates a fluid form on handmade paper.

A punching jig identifies where to punch sewing holes on the inside of each gathering of papers.  Place the notch at the head of each signature for punching to insure that the sewing holes will line up on the spine.

Thank you for reading this blog entry. I look forward to hearing from you.

Nancy Leavitt    website www.nancyleavitt.com

My bookdealer’s website www.juvelisbooks.com