Tuesday, May 29, 2012

next open day....

Phew! its been a whirlwind time!

I'm now hunkering down for winter and working on oodles and oodles of arty projects




The next BIG open day at the studio will be the long weekend in October 2012 which will have a distinct BOOK theme (with the possibility of a one day book arts workshop nestled in there too!) - I will be displaying handmade books and demonstrating book crafts with all the lovely bookbinding gear in the bookworks studio.

Of course the garden will be starting to emerge from its winter hibernation (like me!) and visitors can wander the grounds at will (hopefully I'll have a couple of new garden AND book projects completed by then....)

Lets make it a date eh?!


....



Saturday, May 26, 2012

on the inside...


Now that I've opened the doors of the bookworks for the first time - 

would you like to meet some of my favourite bits of studio equipment?

here's 'Maria'...


... a huge French standing press
she gained the nickname 'Maria' because I picked her up in the nearby township of Moruya

isn't she a lovely looking girl?
but at 250kgs she is a substantial lass!
Phil welded her a special metal table/base so we can feel confident that she's fully supported



then there's 'Chappie'


weighing in at around one tonne
 'Chappie' - my late 19th century Chandler and Price clamshell printing press - does tend to dominate the space so I've tucked him into the back of the studio

nearby is my one chest of metal type (and letterpress bits and pieces)


(although 'Chappie' and mates do take up a lot of space in the studio, I'm not really a letterpress printer so I don't have mountains of gear & I certainly make no pretense at being a letterpress expert!)


My book journey started from the land of calligraphy
 and look - here's my tilted drafting table that's been my faithful calligraphy table 
since the early 1990s... 


its a homemade affair that has lovely a Vemco drafting machine - a beautiful drafting tool more commonly seen in an architects atelier than a calligrapher's studio...
My calligraphy table takes advantage of lovely easterly light
- and soon I'll be able to look out onto my beloved chooks in their own yard -
(right now they are living in a moveable chook tractor that you can spy through the window!)



also inside the studio is my smaller copy press ...


that I use as a nipping press


then there's 'tubbie'


my wooden finishing press and tub


my big wooden finishing press....


sewing frames....




and all my precious hand tools.....





Very soon I'll be announcing the next open day
(I'm hibernating for the winter!) 

when I'll be concentrating on just BOOOOOOOOKS -
so you can come and play with all these goodies
(and maybe even make some booky things)


stay tuned!


.....



Monday, April 23, 2012

its a sign!









I've been repurposing my old sign

with a lick of vibrant (traffic stopping) paint

hand cut stencil lettering

(nearly there....)


 ....

Thursday, April 19, 2012

spreading the news...






please feel free to shout it from the roof tops 


ps - the sams creek open day has been listed 
on the National Permaculture Day website





sams creek bookworks
is at Sams Creek - 10068 Princes Hwy (6kms north of) Cobargo NSW 2550


....



Sunday, April 15, 2012

look at me now!


sooooo did you catch that piccie of me (in the usual place)
peeking out of the vibrant orange studio doors?

things are moving along 

here's a peek (or two or three) of how the garden is shaping up...







come to the open day May 5 and do the full tour!


....