Anatomia libro: The Anatomy of the Book

Plate 71 showing the dissection of the left forearm and hand. The hand is strategically posed, perhaps to reference a gesture often depicted in Renaissance art. Govard Bidloo (1649-1713). Anatomia humani corporis. Amsterdam: Sumptibus viduae Joannis à Someren, haeredum Joannis à Dyk, Henrici & viduae Theodori Boom, 1685. Heirs 724 Illustration by Gerard de Lairesse.

As bookbinders we straddle the line between seamstress and surgeon, fabrication and triage. Whether we are tasked with giving birth to new books or in the rehabilitation of the tired and broken, our trade is governed by our understanding of their construction and the methodic choreography of that process between our hands, our tools, and our materials.

Along with 28 other book artists, I was asked to create a piece for “Micrographia: Book Art Responses to Early Modern Scientific Books” an exhibit in conjunction to the symposium "Scientific Books and Their Makers" at the University of Iowa in Iowa City in October, 2015. Each artist was asked to create a piece in response to an early scientific text in which the invention of the microscope was instrumental in its content and creation. I was assigned a study of anatomical dissection completed in 1685 by Dutch anatomist Govard Bidloo with illustrations by Gerard de Lairesse. As I am unable to read neither Latin nor Dutch, my attention naturally gravitated to the illustrations.

While studying Gerard de Lairesse’s renderings I was struck with a familiarity similar to how we as bookbinders document our own work today. The illustrations in Anatomia not only accurately identify the subject matter in microscopic detail, but they also serve as somewhat of a manual of practice, as if by viewing the illustrations alone one could conceivably explore the human body.

Plate 22 showing the dissection of the heart. Check out those decorative probes! Govard Bidloo (1649-1713). Anatomia humani corporis. Amsterdam: Sumptibus viduae Joannis à Someren, haeredum Joannis à Dyk, Henrici & viduae Theodori Boom, 1685. Heirs 724 Illustration by Gerard de Lairesse.

Less of a sterile presentation of parts and more of an “as you were dissecting” manner, the illustrator shows the process of dissection in stages. The tools, working surfaces, and drapes garner just as much reverence as the body itself. The body is often strategically posed. The restraints, pins, probes, and sutures are all presented with as much attention to detail as any tissue sample showing not only respect for the subject, but it also demonstrates pride in the process and craftsmanship of anatomical dissection.

In plate 20, a book is used to raise a section of skin out of the shadows so that it is better lit for rendering. Whether or not an actual book was used as a prop during dissection is unlikely. Govard Bidloo (1649-1713). Anatomia humani corporis. Amsterdam: Sumptibus viduae Joannis à Someren, haeredum Joannis à Dyk, Henrici & viduae Theodori Boom, 1685. Heirs 724 Illustration by Gerard de Lairesse.

Books are occasionally depicted as props, used to support severed limbs or flayed layers of tissue. While is unlikely that the anatomist used a finely bound tome in such a manner in the anatomical theatre the symbolism of the books in this case not only points to knowledge, it is also a possible acknowledgement of one’s forbearers and their contribution to the trade.

"Anatomia libro" My response to the de Lairesse's illustrations in Anatomia, specifically to plate 71. Signed and numbered limited edition print. Illustrated and carved into linoleum, printed on a C&P Pilot letterpress by Mary Louise Sullivan, Copyright 2015. Prints from the edition are available HERE.

Bookbinders, like anatomists, are people of tools, of process, and of materials. Our trade is consumed not only with the “how” but also in the “why” of our craft. To every bookbinder and books artist, the “what” is just as varied as we are, and the “who” includes not only ourselves, but extends also to our instructors, our histories, our consumers, and our readers.

*All leaves in this post from Bidloo’s Anatomia are from the digitized copy provided by the United Stated National Library of Medicine. Images have been color corrected for clarity. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/historicalanatomies/bidloo_home.html

Talking shop in the shop.

Julie Sola's store, Fat Crow Press at the Idea Hatchery in East Nashville.

For the past few months I've been filling in at Fat Crow Press, the retail store of Julie Sola, a like-minded printmaker and former coworker from Hatch Show Print. On top of being an entrepreneur, a printmaker, an author, artist, and seamstress she is also a veteran wardrobe manager for touring musicians. Think Kiss, Madonna, Motley Crüe, Kanye West & Rod Stewart. When she’s on the road I manage her store on the weekends. Because our printmaking processes are identical I bring my own blocks to carve so that customers can witness the process, ask questions, and learn more about her work and printmaking in general.

One linocut in a forthcoming series of prints loosely inspired by state flowers, trees, and insects.

It’s been a wonderful experience for me in so many ways. I have some place to be, something that self-employed craftsmen often struggle with. I get into the retail mindset, a role I had not practiced since working at Hatch Show Print. I get to imagine how I would eventually run my own brick-and-mortar store. But best of all, I get to talk shop.

The most recent block I finished this past weekend while tending Fat Crow Press was this block for a postcard.

Half of being a bookbinder, printmaker, and craftsman is doing the work. The other half is promoting it. This includes learning how to explain your profession, how and why you do it. You become an educator, a proselytizer of craft practices.

Sometimes you get a clean slate, a curious person who has had no exposure to your craft. Those encounters are magical. As you explain the process, you glimpse a twinkle behind their eyes and realize that you are opening up a world of possibility to a person who had no idea that it even existed. And then you meet those interested people who truly get it. They’re either in the club, they’ve watched the ball game, or they simply appreciate what you do because they recognize that it is important.

I met one of those people this weekend. This gentleman and I talked letterpress, linocuts, and bookbinding. I didn’t have to defend my craft against e-books or e-mail. He didn’t shove me in the mainstream and make me swim against today’s current of technology. The man got it. He came into the shop not once, but twice to show off Julie’s work to his friends and to chat with me some more about my bookbinding. I gave him my card, we shook hands, and he was excited to send me his letterpress printed business card that he had recently commissioned. Smiles, it seems, breed smiles and it was the highlight of my week. Until Monday.

Coffee, check. Feet up, check. Full hummingbird feeders, check. Let the birdwatching begin!

Mondays are typically my day off when I work on the weekends. And I had a full schedule of coffee, cats, and bird watching until I checked my work e-mail. And there he was, this man. Not only had he taken my business card, but he had also looked up my website, browsed my store, and contacted me.

Denim & Sienna Scribe, one of many new ruled and blank springback journals that are now available in my online store, featuring hand painted pastepapers and Italian linen-blend cloth. 

I have spent this past year building inventory, applying to trade shows, teaching, and building a website and an online presence. It’s a lot of work for a one-woman-show, especially in the first year. Product is made, trade shows are packed and unpacked. The studio waxes and wanes in tidiness, and occasionally the online store gets restocked. After a full year of production I have bound hundreds of books and pulled thousands of prints. And Monday, thanks to this man and his interest in a springback journal with ruled pages, I finally photographed and listed my latest inventory.

Thank you, sir for that friendly and unknowing kick in the grown-up pants. I hope you enjoy your new journal. Tell your friends, make them jealous, and pass along that business card. You, sir, have made my month!

The Nashville Experience: A City of Neighbors in Collaboration

After graduating from the University of Iowa Center of the Book I moved away from my temporary home in Iowa City to my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Upon arrival I began to set up shop and get my business up and running. After a few months of painting, building shelves and binding inventory, I challenged myself to finally get out of the studio and begin to rediscover this warm, welcoming city.

My humble home bindery/studio after painted walls and workbench building, but before shelf installation and months of binding to fill said shelves. Calie is weight-testing the workbench.

In many ways I felt like a tourist in my own hometown as I visited my old haunts. Restaurants and businesses had either moved or closed with others newly open. High-rise condos had sprung up from the ruins of the abandoned industrial districts like daisies after a wildfire. Within the short span of three years I found that certain parts of the city, especially downtown, had changed drastically. Despite all of these developments in new infrastructure and the massive influx of people from other states and countries I was comforted to find that the people and the atmosphere hadn't changed at all.

There's so much construction in Nashville at the moment that the local public radio station has issued a campaign to help document them all. This photo is credited to Lily Williams/WNPT.

Nashville has a national and global reputation for being one of the friendliest cities. As a life-long native, I can attest that this friendliness isn’t for show— it’s a very natural way of life for us. Nashvillians are known for being kind, generous, outgoing, and polite. We make eye contact and smile at each other when we pass on sidewalks. We hold open doors for everyone. We're connectors, helpers, selfless, and genuine. Nashville is a city of neighbors.

For that reason Nashville is a wonderful place for creatives and entrepreneurs like myself to make a living by starting new businesses. Local communities support their small businesses and the arts community is devoid of the competitive, cutthroat, divisive nature that other cities experience. Instead, artists collaborate across genres and media and businesses cross-pollinate and promote one another. "Competitors" and complete strangers become each other's supportive networks.

One such stranger, now friend and collaborator, Corey Webb of The Nashville Experience Podcast and nashvilleexperience.com stumbled across my business earlier this year during a Twitter campaign. After discovering that hand-bookbinding was still in practice and then learning that I was a Nashville native with a privately owned bindery, he asked to interview me for his podcast. The rest, as they say, is history.

Corey asked me to bring some the books available in my online store. These are just a few and my inventory is constantly growing!

Check out the podcast episode we recorded earlier this year and be sure to subscribe to his podcast (The Nashville Experience) on iTunes and visit his website for recommendations on where to eat and what to see if you're in town for a few days or if you're like me and would love to learn more about your hometown. Listen to the other episodes on the podcast and discover some of the other wonderful artists, business owners, and personalities that epitomize the people, the culture, and way of life that make Nashville a truly unique experience. 

Chickens on the road

One of 2 new logos for Crowing Hens Bindery.

This past month has been a busy one at Crowing Hens Bindery. I’ve gone through all of the legal channels to get bona fide and CHB is now an officially recognized small business in the state of Tennessee! I’ve also applied for a number of local vending opportunities and festivals for this year, three of which landed in the month of June.

The first was the Porter Flea Modern Handmade Market, a 2-day biannual Nashville makers’ market tradition already in its fifth year. Porter Flea was started so that entrepreneurs and artists could reach out to their local communities, sell their goods and services, and forge relationships between maker and consumer.

Business cards, booksmarks, and books- all in preparation for the Porter Flea Summer Market.

Porter Flea was my first vending opportunity since I’ve set up shop in Nashville and there was a lot of preparation to be done. I needed a logo, signage, business cards, and ephemera. I needed tables, a booth setup, and shelving. I purchased my first iPad and iPhone to take credit card sales, and began updating my website, and counting inventory.

A stack of new springback journals drying underweight, waiting for their decorative papers.

But of course, you also need product to sell and I was determined to be fully stocked. I brought letterpress prints and new greeting cards. I sold this year’s Daybook collection and journals large and small, ruled and blank. I even hired a buddy of mine to help finish up a few hundred books several weeks prior to Porter Flea.

Scribes, Links, and Clutches, 3 journal and notebook designs in progress.

This year’s Porter Flea experience was a wonderful opportunity to sell goods, meet like-minded local business owners, and to celebrate the creativity, ingenuity, and support that our unique Nashville community has to offer.

First time designing a booth setup. Many books to touch and hold!

The popularity of Porter Flea continues to grow exponentially and this year was no exception. The foot traffic this year exceeded 6,000 attendees on Saturday alone. I can only imagine how large this year’s winter market crowd will compare during the holiday season.

Be sure to find us at future local markets and the holiday Porter Flea! I may or may not be donning my world-famous chicken hat/bun warmer.

Look for Crowing Hens Bindery at other upcoming events, such as “Handmade and Bound” hosted by Watkins College of Art and Design on October 2-3, and “Made in Nashville” at Centennial Park on Saturday, September 12. You can also find my work at the Shimai Gallery of Contemporary Craft by the Loveless Café. I will also apply for the holiday Porter Flea, so be sure to keep us in mind as you shop for you and your loved ones this holiday season!