The Fork and Broom Press

On 15 March we celebrate „Printmakers‘ Day“ for the first time, an effort of the BBK. It is the day traditional printmaking techniques became cultural heritage in 2018. From now every year studios and workplaces will offer all sorts of events ranging from exhibitions to workshops on this particular day. There is an interactive map on the BBK website and also a list describing all events giving links to the places that run them.

Spring goes by with clearing old straw and hay out of the barn. The former owners had given up keeping livestock some 20 years ago, but they never got rid of their straw and hay. It is now up to us to work from top to bottom and the material gets older, the straw gets longer and the hay comes with its flowers dried and still colourful. Most of this mass rests on top of a cellar that was used to store turnips and potatoes as food for the pigs. The ceiling of this cellar is structurally unstable, so utter care needs to be taken to avoid any accidents. And then there is a particular corner in the barn with all the chopped up straw that cannot be loaded using a pitchfork. After all straw and hay has gone at last, we fill up the cellar with a few tons of sand, well in the end it sums up to around 90 cubic metres.

Only after the old straw has been cleared out does it become apparent just how beautiful this old building is. It is the perfect location for the „Barn Stories“. This barn is a bespoke space for the readings we will have in summer to celebrate the studio‘s 20-year anniversary. With the knowledge and skill gained during the basket weaving workshops at Kerstin‘s, I make cane lamps to illuminate the barn. Günter busies himself fixing sockets and cables. Our neighbours have plenty of chairs stored in their basement, unused, which we carry across the street as seating for the visitors.

This event is part of the first „Kulturwochen“ (Cultural Weeks) on LandArt-Route 5. Ms Kalbhenn and Mr Suchland will come to read from the artist‘s books that have been published since the studio was founded back in 1999. The acoustics are wonderful and the place has itsown special charm.

The garden is an ocean of wildflowers: poppies and cornflower, wild carrot, corn cockle, borage and so many more are in full bloom. For the LandArt-event I make up little paper sachets of mixed wild flower seeds from the garden. With a printed label sporting the woodcut of a poppy flower and describing the seeds and their requirements, this will be the first work with the motto „Giving Diversity a Home!“

For printing this label the wood block is inked using a dolly. This is a very special way of inking a block giving the ink the opportunity to fade out towards the edges. Each print is inked individually by hand and thus every copy will be a one-off.

Meanwhile, in the big wide world of art everybody is focussed on the 100-year jubilee of Bauhaus. In Weimar the new Bauhaus-Museum will open in the course of this year and in early December the 7th Biennial of Book Arts will be held in Weimar. It goes without saying that the jubilee of the famous educational institution is dominating here too. All exhibitors have been asked to hand in to a jury works related to the writings originated at Bauhaus. My work is going to be a book on Paul Klee‘s understanding of the arrow.

While he was a teacher at the Bauhaus Klee wrote his „Pedagogical Sketchbook“. In this he explained, amongst other things, his idea of the arrow. He saw the arrow as a symbol of the central human dilemma, that the mind can roam so much farther than can the body. And thus the artist‘s book „Paul Klee – Der Pfeil“ (Paul Klee – The Arrow) was born.

The book is a square, ornaments are made using the circle, the square and the triangle, which are the elemental forms in Bauhaus thinking, typography is in the form of an arrow, the cover is made from some old book cloth in a shade of turquoise known from the paintings of Paul Klee. On the title many different designs of arrows are printed all of which were sitting in the studio‘s type cabinets, and all shot off aimed into the far distance, but then stopped short on the wall of the square. I was delighted that the book was chosen by the jury and purchased by Klassikstiftung Weimar for their collection.

 

Briefly noted:

Exhibiting at BuchDruckKunst-Erlesenes auf Papier in Hamburg

Basket weaving workshop at Kerstin Eickmeier

Work starts on the project of „Audio-Stations“ at the stations on LandArt-Routes

A barn filled with straw – turning our old barn into a space to be filled with stories

Published in 2019:

„Paul Klee – Der Pfeil“, artist‘s book, special edition purchased by Klassikstiftung Weimar for Bauhausmuseum

Contact

Biennale Buchkunst Weimar: Atelier G – Gudrun Illert

„Buch DruckKunst – Erlesenes auf Papier“ in Hamburg

Printmakers‘ Day with Bundesverband Bildender Künstler (BBK)

LandArt-Routes in the Mill-District

 

To be continued on 4 June 2024