Newsletter Nr.32

A circle closes

For the current exhibition in Putten (NL) I was looking more closely at my artist’s books. As it is an retrospective exhibition, the manuscript books I made during my BA study in London, also came out of their protective boxes and wraps. And along came the memories.

In the time of making these books I was overwhelmed with inspiration, and so enthusiastic I couldn’t sleep. There was something so incredibly joyous in the intuitive recognition of making them, however long it took to get the materials, writing and the illustrations “right”, complimenting each other. And then, the pleasure of binding a book and making a box for the whole creation. With the first book I ran out of time, and its simplistic binding and protective enveloppe had to do the job. With the second manuscript also the finishing touches were in balance with the overall feel of the book.

In the past years I have made more manuscript books, which you can see in the exhibition, and some of them also on my website. And more will come.

The title of my post refers to re-connecting with the strong rush of creative inspiration, and also to that specific time. “A circle closes”, because on an evening  I found a speech on the internet (read it here) by Ewan Clayton, who taught us calligraphy at Roehampton.

He taught us the importance of cohesion. The importance of being connected with our past and future at the same time. And that the cultural, but also the environmental (as in climate, landscape, infrastructure) surroundings you currently find yourself in, influence your work. And perhaps the most essential part: he pointed out the importance of being connected with yourself, being aware of your state of mind, when working.

I was so happy, reading the speech. He , together with my bookbinding teacher Jen Lindsay, marked the beginning of this circle that now touches its beginpoint – the rush of creative enthousiasm and inspired recognition – and moves upwards in a spiral.

For more internet inspiration on the subject “tradition meets contemporary”, check out these links: http://www.design.nl/item/post_fossil_back_to_the_future

http://inhabitat.com/2010/04/14/water-resistant-furniture-made-from-paper-pulp/

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Exhibition

The exhibition at the Kunstkelder in Putten, Netherlands opened on  23^rd of April and will go on until 22 May. The two co-exhibitors are Riet Harmse (textile panels) and Stieni Foppen (paintings). On show is a retrospect of my work, with the titel “Eventually everything becomes a book” . For more information (in Dutch), follow this link.

Adventure and fairytales

Adventure and fairytales – this is the realm that gives my work its soul. I see my books as vessels to pour stories into.

The journals are for the future owner to use and make their own. As a working journal, notebook, travel journal… The books will only get more character when handled. Carry them with you. Use them. Leather gets patina and glow when used. Read more about the journals here.

The artist’s books, as mentioned above, are inner landscapes of my own. But there is more! Read here about commissioning an artist’s book.

Teaching

One-to-one consultancy sessions have proven to be a very efficient way to reach a specific goal, from technical issues to putting together a whole manuscript book. Because: half of the satisfaction is that you made it, right?

A workshop on palm leaf bindings (background and creative approach) is taking place in the weekend of 12 and 13 of June. Read more about it here.

Enjoy!

Nina

PS. Do you have friends who might like to read this Newsletter? Do mail it forward!

Newsletter Nr.31

Winter 2010

Abundance understood

First: A very good 2010 to you all. May it be everything you wish for!

I don’t know about you, but I have had one of the most exceptional times in the last 6 months. “Nothing moved�. As much as I wanted to act, all I found was frustration in the face of reality. It simply was not the TIME to act.

But, in the meantime, some things clarified.

Like my perception of abundance. Abundance is not about “what you can afford to have�, but what you ALREADY HAVE. Take a good look around in your life. Take a (long!) moment to really count your blessings and to be thankful for them.

…and of quality.

Shaken out of our habits, we are forced to make new decisions. As you’re making your fresh selection of how to live your life from this moment on, make sure it is one that nourishes both you and our Planet.

Quality has shifted, in my mind, from “luxury� to “attention�. Luxury is something extra, out-of-the-ordinary, festive. Whereas attention can be applied all the time. In fact, it should be applied all the time. I’m consciously avoiding the new, fashionable word “mindfulness�, but if that is what springs to your mind, yes, I’m talking about that – awareness of the how you are living your life.

For more reading, follow this link: Slow Movement .

The future of Crafts

A friend of mine strongly believes that Crafts, once the inherited livelihood of common man, will shake off its dusty and ill-fitting image, and become sexy. Good news for me and my colleagues! This friend is currently working on a European network (details to be published at a later date). If you are a crafts person (or doing something crafts related) and interested in hitching along this upward wave, please contact me via email. For everyone else, watch my website for a link to this wave in the future.

Exhibition

I will be exhibiting in Putten, Netherlands on 23 April – 22 May, together with Riet Harmse and Stien Foppen. More information will follow on my site.

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PS. The workshops are on hold at the moment. Should you wish to learn anything bookbind related, you can always contact me with your specified wish for a one to one consultancy.

Thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

Nina

Newsletter Nr.30

Liber Amicorum

On our Atelier web page it also says we also make Liber Amicorums in commission. A Liber Amicorum is  a collection of writings for one person – poetry, good wishes, drawings, images – and bound to a book.

When I was a little girl I too had a “Friends Book�: a pre-printed book with a spread for each friend to fill in the blank lines: name, birthday, favourite colour, what pets they had and so on.
I remember that I asked my teacher to write in it too. She wrote that her favourite film was “Hair�. I was very, very upset when I wasn’t allowed to see it at the tender age of seven.

In these modern times I wonder how many of our readers know what a Liber Amicorum is. And what its position is, with its modern competitors on the internet.

The future of the book

Having said that, I will defend my cause immediately. To me books are time capsules, grasping a moment in lifetime, much like a photo does – but differently. Diaries and working journals record thoughts, and are an irreplaceable  touching stone when the dates of entries are included. Novels  are a déjà vu connection to the time in my life when I first/last read that book, and of course a fantastic journey to “other places�.

And last but not least, when I was sitting at a conference with my notebook and pen in hand, I looked around me and didn’t see one single laptop being used – but a lot of good oldfashioned papery page notebooks.

Online presence

This Newsletter will continue to keep you up to date on the things going on in and around our atelier. But should you like to read updates more often, please join me on these platforms

Facebook

Twitter

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Thanks for reading … and now back to finishing commission work before the summer break.

Enjoy!

Nina

Newsletter Nr. 29

Balancing in between

Often I catch myself fretting about the things I need to get done. But with your little son, Toon, has come the understanding that an open, present attitude is more important than getting what I want, when I want it. I’ve become a “we” instead of “me”. I’m happy and grateful to have this insight, extending it beyond the boundaries of our little family. The neighbors, colleagues and fellow world citizen are also a part of “we”. I haven’t turned into a saint (yet), I still have my balancing wobbles. But it is a nice thought to keep in mind, “I’m a we“.

 

At the atelier

The atelier is open on Thursdays and Fridays in the afternoon, and on appointment. During the other times of the week we’re working on commissions and our own creations.

The front side of  the atelier space is gradually growing to a little shop. At the moment we have a selection of bookcloth, some hand tools and books about books to offer. More tools and materials – knifes, needles, glue and the like – will follow. 

Of course we’re exhibiting and selling a selection of our own work as well. 

In addition, books in sheets can be looked in and obtained at our shop. 

“De kleine Johannes” by Atelier de Ganzenweide is available, and later this spring more titles will follow. 

Miniature books, both bound and in sheets, by the Catharijne Press are available.

If you are a handbookbinder, and would like to sell your work through our shop, please get in contact for more information.

Courses and workshops are continuing until the summer break. In the months July and August the teaching activities pause, to start again in September.

You can read more about the atelier (in Dutch) here.

 

Open Atelier Day

The previous Open Atelier Day was a great success! For an impression see the Blog page of my site (scroll down for Atelier Open Day). 

And already we’re planning for something NEW…

 

New York comes to Amsterdam

This is the title of our culture-packed afternoon, on 25th April, from 14.00 to 17.00. Books by Nina, Christel and Mitzi, music by Signe and perhaps Flip too, and paintings by Job. 

For the poster look here. 

Should you wish to receive the poster per email for your own reference, or to print it out and hang it up, just email me and I’ll be happy to send it to you.

 

and don’t forget to STOP and ENJOY ; )

Nina

 

 

Newsletter Nr.28

…was the Open Atelier invitation (see category Other creative projects).

Newsletter Nr.27

Wishing you a peaceful end of the year

Usually I try to avoid political issues in my public writings, but this time I will share my thoughts about the theme war and peace, since it lies right on top of my attention at the moment…If you’d rather skip it, go directly to announcements section below : )

The Nits have a fantastic song called War and Peace. “…they go together like siamese twins, one stops, the other begins, war and peace…â€�.
It has been a crazy year again on this front. I will not comment on the recent happenings in Mumbai since they go far beyond my pacifist frame of mind, but I will talk a little bit about Dalai Lama.

Here at home we are great fans and friends of Tibet. What has been nagging me the whole year is, why is the Dalai Lama holding on to his extremely tolerant policy regarding the growingly alarming situation in Tibet? He continues to be firm but peaceful. Turning this around in my head a thought arose: Perhaps he is waiting for the World to take action? Perhaps, instead of waiting for “somebody to do something� we should all get up and say “now it is enough�. I feel powerless by this.

But I DO have a constructive insight on this issue, too! It is one insight I had in a smaller scale – at home. Balancing between my ambitions and young motherhood is no easy thing for me. And when I get tired , my edginess increases. And when I am tired and edgy, I start to feel small. And in an attempt to “fix� my inner clash, I steam it out to my beloved ones. Perhaps all wars begin from the feeling of being small and wanting to be bigger. Looking at it this way, all the fighting nations become a bit pitiful, the opposite of what they probably try to achieve.

The irony is, that all borders between nations and cities are just thoughts – lines on maps.

And when one is rested and relaxed and feels safe, it is easy to realise that even the borders between people…are not so rigid at all.

Wishing you all a peaceful, love-filled end of the year.

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Shop opening at wishscroll.etsy.com

A wish scroll is a personal piece of magic to wear. It is a leather pendant worn around your neck, under your clothing, against your skin. Write your wish on a piece of paper, put it in the scroll and wear until your wish comes true.

* * * * The first 12 wish scrolls are listed! To kick start my shop, the FIRST CUSTOMER GETS A 25% DISCOUNT ON THE PRICE .  * * * *  A note to readers in the Netherlands: it is very close to Sinterklaas, but not too late yet! Remember: it only takes one night for the post-Piet to deliver your package…  For more information, go here.

Workshops

… are listed on the website again! And, there is the long-awaited opportunity for walk-in atelier! It is  the chance for you to work on your own project, making use of the facilities and know-how of our atelier. Welcome!

All the best,

Nina

Newsletter 26

Autumn

It was a race against time.
What started as a cautious expedition into unknown land of creativity, ended as a manic marathon on the gigantic waves of inspiration. You wouldn’t say that, looking at the resulting work in the exhibition: silent books, meditative.
Hopefully you can also see the giggles and fun I had making them. More on the latest books will follow, be patient.

This is  the email version of the exhibition invitation – please excuse me if you get it for the second time.

Bookbinding Fair in Leiden

The annual Bookbinding Fair in St.Pieterskerk in Leiden is on again this weekend. More information (in Dutch) is available here.

Enjoy!

Newsletter Nr.25

Summer

As I write this a storm wind is bending the plants outside. Spring was early, but so is autumn, it seems like. Just back from a long, adventure-filled vacation, I feel as if time is biting my heels. Looking back into my photos I see a summer filled with sunshine, happy togetherness, and lots of time outdoors. And I feel the excitement of living with the seasons. It is nearly harvest time, in the garden, and in the atelier. I am working towards an exhibition that will open in November. New things are in the making, in the form of harvesting life lived until now. It is very exciting to work with precious ideas, to see them turn into matter under my hands. I hope you can come and see the “fruit” when the exhibition is up. Until then, let me invite you to take a look at my new website!
There you can also see the details about the exhibition “Seasons” .

Wish scrolls

The scrolls are in the making again, but they seem to find their new homes as soon as they are finished! This means I only have a few in stock, but am happy to make one on order for you. Prices start at € 47,50. For more information, see the Wish scrolls page .

Recommended read

A beautiful book to read, in Dutch, is “Het geluk wandelt mee op de Via de la Plata” by Sanne Vos. She made her pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela and shared her diary, first through emails to friends, then through this book. It is a very truthful, open, questioning and illustrating book (in words) about what the author experienced during her pilgrimage alone. Recommended to anyone who feels drawn to make a pilgrimage, either to Santiago de Compostela or just in their selves. You can take a look – and order – here.

Enjoy!
Nina

Newsletter Nr.24

Spring is early

We have enjoyed a busy winter re-arranging the garden. It has been a race with the spring, which seemed to be months too early. But as I sit down with a good cup of coffee to look – really LOOK – I see that all the haste is in my head. There is no race.
Everything happens exactly when it is supposed to happen. I don’t know how it works, but Life has its wisdom. Even the little interruptions have their function. If I hadn’t stopped, I would have gone into the wrong direction.
I’m so happy to enjoy, here and now.

Calligraphy Manifest in Den Bilt

The annual international calligraphy manifest will take place on Saturday 15th March in De Bilt (the Netherlands). Professional calligraphers, bookmakers (yes, yours truly too ) and suppliers will be at your service from 10 to 17 at the Cultureel Centrum H.F. Witte, Henri Dunantpolein 4, De Bilt. Welcome!

Exhibition of Miniature Bindings

Neale Alberts highly inspiring collection of Miniature Designer Bookbindings is coming to Europe. The collection was exhibited at the Grolier Club, NY, in the autumn of 2006. Now the mini treasures will be on show in the Historic reading Room at the John Rylands Library in Manchester, UK, from 4 June through 18 October of 2008.

Enjoy!

Nina

Newsletter Nr.22

End of the year

Time again for candlelit evenings and warm, cosy atmosphere. What a year it has been (already! we still have 1 month to go…). Little Toon Ilo has kept me busy, and what a pride and joy he is to us, I tell you! That a little person can develop from newborn to a standing, own personality within a year is amazing. Not to speak of the sheer miracle of how we all became to be… Out of love and a sparkle of energy grows this fully developed body, which then becomes stronger and learns all kind of. Lets remember how we all started, and realise that we still continue to develop.

Back to business

Slowly but surely things are starting to happen on the business side of life again.
To start with, let me announce that the atelier finally has a permanent address:

Dusartstraat 12 sous
1072HR Amsterdam
Netherlands

Christel Harms kindly shares her atelier with me. Check out her beautiful work at www.christelharms.nl

And now that there is a place, there is a “stageâ€� for things. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to…

Commissioning a binding

Special books for special people. Nina Judin creates new books as well as re-binds your special book. Do you have a book, text, letters, drawings or photos you would like to have bound into a special book? Do you need a blank book for a specific purpose? You can order a binding to meet your specific taste and requirements. Please do keep in mind that finishing the design and making the book take time. If you have a set date to your book project, please contact me early!

Bookbinding class

From January 2008 onward, every fourth Saturday of the month, bookbinding class for maximum six participants. We start with one warm-up project together. After that you are welcome to come and work on your own projects, with the equipment of the atelier and the know-how backup from Nina. Not to forget the fun and inspiration you get from working together ! Mail me for further information.

Bookbinding workshops

For those of you who want precise and intensive bookbinding knowledge downloaded into your system just within one weekend, there are the workshops. These one or two day intensive learning sessions are based on a bookbinding structure and/or technique that allows you to make a fully finished product. Again, please send an email for further information.

Exhibition

“Jonge Helden in de band� is an exhibition of design bindings made for the book “Jonge Helden!�, written by André Nuyens to celebrate the 650 years of history of the town Hoorn. The exciting stories all have children or youth as heroes, vividly describing life from different historical moments in Hoorn.
26 bookbinders expressed their view on the book through their design bindings. The books are exhibited from 4th December to 25th January 2008 at the Westfries Archives in Hoorn.

Enjoy!
Nina