The Best of The Best
For the past few weeks I’ve been working on constructing this accordion book and print portfolio for the edition ‘The Best of The Best’ by R. J. Kern. It includes 12 mounted salt prints (printed by R.J. Kern), 4 pop-ups, essays, statements and a colophon, and it all fits into the walnut and Plexiglass case. The print can also be displayed vertically in the frame or freestanding.
More information about the edition can be found on R. J.’s website or contact me, [email protected], for information on clamshell cases and book binding.
Each COLLECTOR’S EDITION contains a 15-page accordion-fold visual book and print folio.
From its 11 x 14 x 3 inch box, the accordion-fold book unfolds into a sequence of photographs and three-dimensional pop-ups. The book includes twelve bound salt prints along with four pop-up salt prints with salt print backgrounds. The book may be opened from either direction and displayed upright in an array of presentation shapes to include a rectangle (similar to barn stalls), a star, or a line. If exhibited in a rectangle form, dimensions are 41.25 x 31 inches.
The print folio includes one freestanding salt-over-archival pigment print signed by R. J. Kern; each of these prints is a unique animal pair drawn from an edition of 10.
Lumens
This is clamshell case I recently made with artist Lisa Nebenzahl. Besides needing a case to present both her prints and 3D constructions, Lisa wanted to learn the craft of making boxes and cases, so we worked on the project together. The case measures 13.5 x 19.5 x 4” with a removable set of dividers and a panel to separate the prints. It’s finished in Cadet Blue Japanese bookcloth with matte gold foil stamping.
Plains Project
I’m currently in the middle of a great project for a local artist, Peter Latner, (a photographer who still works with medium and large format film) as part of his Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant that he received.
The project will involve a small edition of clamshell cases that each hold 58 gelatin-silver prints hand-printed by Peter, which are stunningly beautiful. I’m debossing 4-ply Museum board and dry-mounting the prints into the resulting plate mark. There will also be a title page, statement and colophon. Once I’ve mounted the prints and printed the text sheets I’ll have a better idea of the exact depth required, then I can start making the cases. That number of mounted prints will result in a nice, substantial case that’s about 4.5” deep. I’m going to try and post more images of the production as we progress over the next few weeks!
Just a small section of 300 sheets of Museum board.
A stack of prints ready for dry-mounting.
Detail of the debossing with space for numbering.
It’s a start…