#shell pattern

Marbled Monday

This Marbled Monday our marbling has an unsettling vibe. This green, yellow, black, and red marbling with little gold flecks adorns the cover of The Maides Tragedy by English dramatist Francis Beaumont (1584-1616) and John Fletcher (1579-1625) with wood engravings by Scottish artist Freda Bone (1905-1991) which we shared in a previous post. The book was printed in 1932 for Cheshire House in an edition of 1200 copies, but the play was originally published in 1619.

Frankly, I find this marbling somewhat unpleasant and it gives me a swampy feeling—I’m thinking the boiling lake that Grendel lives in/under from Beowulf. It is closest to either a Schrottel or Shell pattern, but appears to have been swirled a bit at the end of the process creating this uniquely stylized pattern. 

View more Marbled Monday posts.

- P.S. My favorite part out of all of the episodes of Sander Sides is in the video :)

(Who does’t like cream of broccoli)

Marbled Monday

Well if it isn’t time for another Marbled Monday! This week’s marbling was found while preparing items to be loaned for an upcoming exhibition at MIAD’s Layton Gallery celebrating over 40 years of Woodland Pattern Book Center, Then as Now: Woodland Pattern 1980-2022. The exhibition will be on display this fall, from October 10, 2022 to December 2, 2022. 

The book is by poet, activist, publisher and member of the rock band the Fugs Ed Sanders. This facsimile edition of A Book of Glyphs was published by Granary Books in New York City in 2014 in an edition of 51 copies numbered and signed by the poet. The book was produced by Diane Bertolo and Steve Clay with Tom Damrauer and Katherine Kuehn. It was printed by Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints and bound by Judith Ivry who also made the boxes and bound Glyph Notes, an accompanying text with descriptions/explanations of the glyphs. Click each image to see the accompanying note. 

There’s no information in the colophon about the marbling, but I believe it’s either a shell pattern or it is overprinted. There is multi-colored veining in red, yellow, cream, and black over a mottled blue pattern. 

Shells / Scales

Lovely stitch.  Free pattern with chart.