Spirit of Bees

Another recent book work.
 
I made this kit in 2008. It was an exercise in combining a number of skills I've learned into one work. Bookbinding, box making, metalwork, fiber arts, knife making, Bone folder making...etc. I made all of the parts of this work except for the pencil which I found and altered to fit the theme. I imagined this kit being useful to the bookbinder who found him/herself in the wilderness who wanted to document the experience and who might need tools to enable bookbinding in the wild.
 
The case is made from a found wooden box which I covered in suede, skin side out, and fitted with handmade copper hardware and handmade Kumihimo cord, both of which I made. A deer bone folder (removable and made by me) serves as clasp. It contains a Coptic or Ethiopian style book, bound in wood boards painted and covered with papyrus; compass inlaid into cover, its pages altered with acrylic washes; a primitive pencil which holds bookbinding thread, an eraser and needle. There is also a also a little knife handmade by me. The case is lined with decorative paper which matches the endpapers in the book.
 
Fun!

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This is one of the more recent books I've made.
 
It is a Gothic style binding in wood boards, sewn on double cords, and bound in goatskin. The signatures are Gutenberg paper. The book clasps are constructed of sterling silver and brass. The eight corner bosses are also of sterling silver with brass numbered screen tacks in the center, numbered 1-8. This book measures 6" tall by .5" wide and is 1 1/2 " thick.
 
After a number of years as a metalsmith, I became interested in book arts and found my niche focusing on constructing metal book clasps and decorations., and I now teach workshops in this to other book artists. The "Numbers" book is an example of my more recent work in that area. If you are interested in book clasps you can find more information in my blog, Closure, at http://www.bookclasp.com/blog

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I first saw the phrase in an old pharmacological text which I repaired. The original blog entry about that can be found in my old blog.
 
Technically, spirit of bees was an ancient curative made in medieval times from extract of bees. But I was charmed by the sound of the phrase, the rhythm of the words. It brought to mind the buzzing of the swarm, the activity of the hive, the busy-ness of bee-ness. As a person who always has many different things going on all the time, and who is very much engaged in the busy-ness of being, I could relate to those words.
 
Acting with energy and purpose. Such is the Spirit of Bees.

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