Behind the Scenes of the Passport Office, Arnolfini, Bristol.

My niece and I had such a great time running our Passport Office at the Bristol Artist Book Event.
Here are a few photographs from the day. All photographs by Tom Sowden.

The passport office was based on Lucy from Peanuts, psychiatrist booth. 

























At the end of the weekend we both collected stamps in our passports from all the participating exhibitors/stall holders/publishers.

See you next time ! 

Rubber Stamp Passport Office - Exhibition & Performance, B.A.B.E Arnolfini, Bristol.

Join illustrator Stephen Fowler and artist Harriet Price, as they open their Rubber Stamp Passport Office for the first time.

They will be issuing an edition of 100 passports, as a means to navigate BABE and collect stamp impressions from the many bookmakers, small publishers, artists and other stallholders, who are contributing to this rubber stamp Happening. To be one of the lucky few who are issued with a passport, form an orderly queue at one of the following times.

Passport Office Opening Times Saturday

Morning; 11 - 13.00

Afternoon; 14 - 16.00

Passport Office Opening Times Sunday

Morning; 11 - 13.00

Afternoon; 14.00 - 15.00

Harriet Price is a painter, drawer, rubber stamp printer and model maker. She also works with, amongst other things, sewing machines, felt, papier mache, and Posca Pens.

Many thanks to G.F.Smith for sponsoring the Rubber Stamp Passport Office.

http://www.gfsmith.com/

BOOKISH NESS - Trip to Loch Ness!

Sarah Bodman asked me to propose a book for World Book Night.

I chose Tim Dinsdale's  'The Loch Ness Monster', published in 1961.

World Book Night is a national celebration of reading and books which takes place on 23 April every year. Books are given out across the UK with a focus on reaching those who don’t regularly read, and are gifted through organisations including prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters, as well as by passionate individuals who give out their own books within their communities.
World Book Night is run by The Reading Agency, a national charity that inspires people to become confident and enthusiastic readers.

Previous books included, Margaret Atwood Handmaid's Tale, and Stephen King's 'The Shinning'
international Artists,Illustrators and Printmakers are invited to read the selected book and respond with a piece of artwork, in the Shinning's case it was a prop for an animation short, for the Handmaiden Tale, an edition of rubber stamped cards ( one of which is in the Tate Museum's collection)
Here's a link to a short film showing the edition being complied https://vimeo.com/164111118



Why this book I hear you say? Well let me introduce Tim Dinsdale.



Here he is pointing to a model of the Loch Ness monster.
After seeing the Surgeons photograph of the monster. He decided to take a long trip to Loch Ness, after several fruitless visits to the Loch side, and just as he was about to leave he finally got a glimpse of Nessie. He had a camera at his side and took this famous film of an unknown creature swimming across the Loch, creating a large wake for all to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdQUbLKwCvQ



His story is described in exciting detail in the book. He went on to write 3 more books on the subject.

   

About a dozen of us visited the Loch. And kept a beady eye out for any unusual splashes and wakes.



Alas we didn't have any luck, however we did have an encounter with Adrain Shines,  Shine is the leader of the Loch Ness & Morar Project and has been engaged in fieldwork in the Highlands since 1973 when he constructed the manned underwater observation chamber "Machan". He subsequently led over 1000 students and lay volunteers on expeditions, training them to observe, sample and record data. In more recent collaborations, projects have involved workers from some 20 universities and academic institutions within the UK and overseas.



He signed a copy of his book.

Later that same day we all made art pieces, contributed to a rubber stamp Loch Ness map, and started to plan a publication and short film of our trip.







Here's the abstract, written by Sarah Bodman.

“Although there have been quite a few books written on the subject, really we know very little.” NESSIE, Seven Years in Search of the Monster, Frank Searle Monster-Hunter Extraordinary, Coronet Books, 1976. For 2017, our tribute is to all the weird and wonderful, scientific and practical, believing and sceptical endeavours recorded in publications about the Loch Ness Monster – hence the apt title of BOOK ISH NESS created by Linda Parr. A collaboration with 46 national and international artists for World Book Night 2017. BOOKISHNESS, 2017, edition of 100. One copy for each contributor to the event. In the collection of Tate Britain, UK; Winchester School of Art Library, UK.

And the film! ( this features, photographs taken during the trip, drawings, prints, and spreads from the book)

BFR Mag

Barbara Frankie Ryan interviewed me for her marvellous Zine 'BFR'.

BFR mag is a zine started in 2008 by Barbara Frankie Ryan, in her teenage bedroom. An excuse to bring together work by friends and put into print the things we talk about. 

Almost 10 years on, it’s still a celebration of thoughts, drawings, writings and photography. The contributors are always at the heart of each issue.  Discussing themes from the silly to the serious - it’s perfect toilet reading.  

“Lovely inkiness to make you smile”
It’s Nice That

“BFR Mag is a little matrix of wittily captioned illustrations that vacillate between sharply honest vulnerability and hard-edged cheeky humour, punctuated by playful discussions of fashion. “ 
Dazed & Confused

Barbara's zine developed from a photocopied publication, through several issues in silkscreen, and then most recently it was reproduced using the risograph process

http://www.barbarafrankieryan.com/



Here's her interview in full. 

Your book is an absolutely thorough and essential guidebook to all things stamping; it covers all fronts entirely. Is there a book that you hold close to your chest as a practical handbook or other resource?

Yes indeed, The Rubber Stamp Album, or to give it its full title,.The Rubber Stamp Album: The Complete Guide to Making Everything Prettier, Weirder, and Funnier. How and where to Buy Over 5,000 Rubber Stamps. And How to Use Them, by Joni K. Mille & Lowry Thompson. The book's very comprehensive, outlining not only the history ( who invented the process, how it evolved etc ), but reading it now, it acts as snapshot of history, conveying a 1970s inclusive and sharing approach to all things rubber stamp,mirroring all those likeminded, committed, and beautifully DIY designed books, on subjects such as self sufficiency, and communal living.
Featuring chapters on Mail Art, hard carved rubber stamping, lovely section on Sister Corita Kent ( graphic artist, Catholic Nun and teacher ), and an overview of commercial rubber stamp catalogues.
It also reflects the cusp, when rubber stamp art turned from not just being employed by conceptual artists involved with or influenced by art movements such as Fluxus (it features artists like Anna Banana and Ray DiPalma) but to a wider community of designers, illustrators and then finally all people with an artistic bent. The authors went onto to publish the journal/zine Rubber Stamp Madness , which is still being produced. 

Vegetable stamps, rubber stamps, clay stamps, roller printing, using found objects - your book covers a whole host of approaches. But is there a particular method you always find yourself drawn to (and why)?

Right now I'm enjoying stamping with Neoprene foam, available in art, craft or stationery shops, displayed as craft, or funky foam ( but don't let name put you off ). I find this material surprisingly immediate, all you have to do is cut out a shape/image/design with either a pair of scissors or scalpel,incising with pencils or pens for the detail , ink up, and stamp. Prints resemble stone litho impressions, due in part to texture of the foam. 

I love the host of examples from other artists, showcased in your book. Do you have any historical or more contemporary stamping personal stamping inspirations?

I'm in awe of the Polish rubber stamp artist, Pawel Petasz. Known for his prints created during the cold war, when all print production was carefully regulated, and even basic art materials were in short supply, Petasz used materials at hand, such as potatoes, erasers and floor lino to make his art. Distributing journals, posters and other primitively beautiful ephemera via the postal system, he came to the attention to of other Mail/Correspondence artists from around the world. You can find his work in the Museum of Modern Art catalogue; 'Eye on Europe: Prints, Books & Multiples, 1960 to Now'.
As contemporary practitioners go, I rate Natsuko Oshima, based in Japan, (the land of rubber stamps), her stamps are a combination of both sensitive personal observation, being reportage in approach, and utilitarian in style, I can imagine them stamped in architectural plans. Her recent publication, 'Tokyoite Stamp' is a wonderful thing, and worth seeking out.

As someone who is a visiting art school teacher and workshop host, are there any techniques or ideas you've borrowed(/stolen!) along the way from others?

Ha ha , no, no I haven't . Although I have been inspired by participants/students. Teaching is a two way experience, if things are going well then both the teacher and student learn from each other.

The GIGANTIC stamps in your book, are just brilliant. What is the largest or most ambitious stamping project you have been involved in?

If you like oversized stamps, go looking at the world's biggest, a piece of public art by Claes Oldenburg. 
My biggest, and most ambitious was probably the stamping workshop I organised with Bristol's Arnolfini bookshop to promote my book, over 150 people came, all ages and generations, carving, and stamping their creations on the paper covered walls that stretched around the entrance hall, It was a marvellous day.     


Have you got any exciting projects in the line up? If so, please tell more!

Next year I'm of to the Minnesota Centre for Book Arts, they've just opened the worlds biggest rubber stamp archive,  featuring the private collections of Scott Helmes and William “Picasso” Gaglione, numbering 70,000 stamps in total - imagine that !  I'm going to be their first artist in residence, very exciting.
Closer to home, I'm running some workshops at the Victoria and Albert museum to coincide with an exhibition on post soviet printmaking.  Then in the spring a rubber stamp zine for Craig Atkinson's, Cafe Royal, and a passport stamping day for the Bristol Artist Book Event - B.A.B.E. 

Some spreads from BFR 

Autumn / Winter 2017

Rubber Stamp Portraits at the London Book Launch

We were overjoyed to have Paddy Malloy's "Brave New Face " portrait stall at the London Launch of "Rubber Stamping" . It was a raving success !
Here are a few examples - more to follow !


Paper and Stamp pads were supplied by GFSmith and Blade Rubber Stamps

Rubber Stamping, Get Creative with Stamps, Rollers and Other Printmaking Techniques

At last my book's been published by Laurence King !
Nearly 2 years in the making.

Here are a few of its spreads.

Rob Ryan wrote an excellent forward for the book.

One of my favorite sections to write and make rubber stamps for, was the 'Materials, tools, and equipment' chapter. I really enjoyed carving the tool stamps, and putting down on paper all technical detail I've gleaned over the years.

Then came the essential pages of instructions, the basics, such as how to carve a rubber stamp. Here is a spread on deduction printing, the kamikaze printing method.

Overprinting - this spread came about quite magically. I wanted to replicate the CMYK colour wheel but in an imaginative way. Bulbs seemed an ideal solution, the resulting impressions created coloured spotlights of filtered light. 

For the avairy print I made a set rubber stamps from drawings of taxidermy birds I made, with my nephew & niece, at the Bristol City Museum.

Printing on food ! Yes you can print on food, specialist printing inks are available, or why not use food dye ?
Late one night, after several failed attempts I finally mastered how to make royal icing, its the only way to create these stamped alphabet biscuits. 

Mail Art, this is something I'm really getting into, it's remarkable. After sending dozens of pieces of post out into the world, you'll receive an overwhelming response in return. Try it, you'll full in love with the process, a perfect marriage of life & art.

The work here is a record of my correspondence between the artist Jo Cook and myself. 

The last section of the book features several alternative printing methods, or what I like to call primitive printing processes. My favorite of which is Roller Printing.


I hope you like the book, do let me know what you think.

Mail Art Envelopes.

How did the UWE summer school Artistamps get to their destinations ? 
I sent them off in these rubber stamped envelopes. 

Mail Art isn't just a thing,its a process as well. 
Being the recipient can be an euphoric experience,and the posting can be a magical as well. 
If you're lucky, post office clerks will join in, and collaborate with you, taking time (much to the annoyance to the remaining queue) to select colour, or theme related commemorative postage stamps for your mail.

Dispersing UWE Artstamps around the world

Craig, Jen, Jane, Becky, Steve & Charlotte dispersed their stamps around the world via the Mail Art network. Correspondent Artists, the "Sticker Dude" and Vizma Bruns were some of the lucky recipients. 

Stamp collection photographed by Vizma Bruns ( they arrived safely - Phew !! ) 

Receive Artistamps Through The Post !

Hello everyone,

I'm going to be running a (Rubber Stamp) Artistamps workshop from 20th July to the 22 July at the University of the West of England, Bristol. 
The participants and I are very keen to, and interested in sending these faux stamps out into the world. 
If anyone would like to receive some of the Artistamps please send Mail Art envelopes or post cards to my address before the workshop date, and we'll return your Mail covered with our stamps.
Please email me to obtain the  address. 

Hope this finds you well. 

What is an Artistamp ? 

Artiststamps, or artists’ stamps, are closely associated with mail art; they reflect its spirit of marrying art and the everyday. Stamps signify payment, and mail artists test and tease the postal system with their playful appropriation of this official form of evidence.

WLD ART STAMPS by ARTUROA

The S. Helmes and W. Gaglione Rubber Stamp Archive

The Minnesota Centre for Book Arts have acquired both Scott Helmes and William “Picasso” Gaglione's extensive Rubber Stamp collections. 

To help establish this magnificent collection, MCBA has opened a Kick Starting Campaign 

Here's the link, please make a donation !  

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mnbookarts/the-s-helmes-and-w-gaglione-rubber-stamp-archive?ref=email 

The H/G Archive is one of the largest repositories of rubber stamps and stamp-related materials in the world. Comprised of hundreds of commercial and one-of-a-kind boxed sets and over 70,000 individual stamps spanning a period of 120 years, the H/G Archive is both comprehensive and incredibly diverse. In addition to physical stamps, the collection includes original stamp art, artists’ books, limited edition publications, journals, catalogs, reference materials, correspondence art, assemblings, design specifications, posters, and production materials.  

The mission of the H/G Archive is to preserve historical, rare and unique tools of artistic expression while maintaining their accessibility to artists wishing to incorporate them into their creative practice. It is a living archive where use by artists and researchers is encouraged.

An exhibition in Open Book’s second floor Literary Commons presents just a few examples of the H/G Archive’s holdings. It offers a rudimentary history primer and demonstrates rubber stamp use by contemporary artists. From Dada and Fluxus practitioners to concrete poets and correspondence artists, rubber stamps facilitate creativity through their inherent immediacy and operative flexibility. They allow artists to simultaneously reference and critique a range of topics from banal day-to-day life to long established social institutions. 

The S. Helmes and W. Gaglione Rubber Stamp Archive will officially open to the public in mid-2017 after initial documentation and cataloging has been completed. At that time it will begin fulfilling its mission by providing unique resources for art-making to emerging and established artists; serving as an educational collection that demonstrates history and social change; supporting future exhibitions and workshops; preserving and maintaining a traditional creative practices; and enhancing Minnesota Center for Book Art’s programming.

ABOUT THE FOUNDERS

SCOTT HELMES  

Scott Helmes is a visual poet who began collecting rubber stamp sets in 1974. His poetry stretches the limits of language, explores the multifaceted concepts of meaning, and encompasses all manners of reading. His work also investigates typographic concepts, printing methods, and alternative letter forms within the modern meaning of communication. Helmes’ poetry is realized through a variety of techniques and materials such as rubber stamps, stencils, and collage. He has exhibited internationally and his work is in the collections of some of the world’s leading institutions, including Minneapolis’ Walker Art Center, New York’s Museum of Modern Art, London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, Paris’ Bibliotheque Nationale de France, and Frankfurt’s Museum für Kunsthandwerk.

WILLIAM “PICASSO” GAGLIONE

An avid collector of all things, William “Picasso” Gaglione was the original owner of Stamp Francisco and has been involved with rubber stamp art and rubber stamp manufacturing for decades. He is currently the co-proprietor of Chicago's Stampland. His artistic influence on the world of rubber stamping has been documented extensively through numerous international exhibitions and publications. As a publisher, he has produced multiple boxed exhibition catalogs and assembling periodicals such as Stampzine. Gaglione has created many aliases and identifications during his long career as a conceptual artist (Picasso, Dadaland, etc.) and he continues to prolifically create and perform as a neo-Dadist, Fluxus practitioner, and correspondence artist.