Qualicum Blue is a limited edition of 30 copies signed and numbered

Distinguished Book Award 2007

          My curiosity was piqued shortly after I came to live in the small town of Qualicum Beach, on the east coast of Vancouver Island. The whole area seems steeped in blue. It has the sea on one side, the mountains behind, and the sky like a giant blue shade pulled down to meet them. 

          Some days the scene is violet and indigo, on others it's an intense 'Virgin Mary's cloak' blue, or palest silvery blue. There are shades of blue everywhere, from the purplish blue Alpine Lupines lining the highway, to the gray blue, Great Blue Heron, Steller's Jays, blue butterflies, dragonflies, salmon and of course, blueberries. So many blues, I was stimulated to explore the colour, its historical and cultural associations and the meanings or emotions conveyed to us, shaping our perceptions.   

          The text was printed in a Caslon font on a platen press from photo-polymer plates, using pale blue Zerkall Ingres mould made paper. The text occupies one side of the book: there are sixty nine pages with a bibliography, and a pochoir frontispiece showing a view of Denman Island from Qualicum Beach.    

The Illustrations

           The second part of the book, Blue Gallery, contains a series of  illustrations made using the pochoir technique, a form of stencilling. For me, the charm of the technique lies in the vibrancy obtainable using watercolours, and the range of effects from dense solid shades to transparent veils of colour. The stencils are hand cut,  at least one for each colour, from original artwork. It is a laborious process, and not surprisingly, ceased to be used as soon as a suitable more automated method could be found to replace it. 

           The illustrations are all of plants and creatures found in the vicinity of Qualicum Beach, on Vancouver Island, although many of them can also be found across North America and in particular along the Pacific Coast. They range in hue from palest azure to inky dark indigo, a symphony of blues. 

Pochoir

             This technique was used in Europe mainly in the early twentieth century, although it was known and used by other cultures at various times. In the Art Deco period, particularly in Paris, it was used by artists such as Saudé and Erté who illustrated up-market fashion magazines and advertising material for haute couturiers. Their distinctive colour palette and decorative subject matter are very attractive and convey perfectly the flavour and extravagance of the times. 

the binding

             I decided to make Qualicum Blue a dos à dos  binding, as the illustrations are complementary to the text, rather than illustrative of it. This type of binding is two books bound as one, each with its own front cover, and sharing a middle board. The book is bound in blue goatskin leather, and the title labels are gold blocked and inlaid into the covers, to give a cushiony effect. The covers are fastened with two salmon-shaped bronze toggles designed and made especially for the book by Canadian designer jeweller John Hughes. Claire Maziarczyk's hand made pastepaper is used for endpapers, and also covers the slipcase.  

the Details 

           Qualicum Bluewas published in May 2007, in a Limited Edition of thirty copies, about three inches wide by two and three quarter inches high, inclusive of slipcase. Each copy is signed and numbered. The text is printed letterpress with photopolymer plates on blue Zerkall Ingres mouldmade paper. There are sixty-nine pages, with pochoir frontispiece, contents page and bibliography. Blue Gallery consists of seven pochoir prints on Zerkall mouldmade paper alternating with pages detailing the name and description of the plant or creature. Bound together, in slipcase, price CA$ 575.00 To reserve a copy, contact me.