Joan Wilmot
UK
I had many ideas for this project. Then I became obsessed by printing with real leaves, following a loose connection between books and trees – paper making – and the leaves (i.e. pages) of a book. The collection makes use of Ivy, Lavender, Ivy-Leafed Toadflax, Beech, Geranium, Ground Elder, Conifer and Goosegrass. There are a few non-leaf bookmarks too.
All leaf bookmarks are hand printed leaf papers, cut to size and stitched. The others are my early attempts at printing, cut into strips, most including elements of leaves if you look carefully. The strips were then sewn randomly together. Two bookmarks are hand made felt. So each is unique. I hope the bookmark recipients will sit under trees in the sun to read; perhaps a leaf or two will fall gently on them while they are there. I am a retired British civil servant, making my way slowly into the world of creating art, 50 years after being pushed into the corner at art class in school because “you’ll never be able to draw”.
As such a newcomer to art, I would like to thank the people who helped me with this project: my niece Charlotte and Mike Clements, both earlier participants in the project, and Chris Lloyd, all for their advice in the early days; Ros at Pitch Blue Creative in Wirksworth, Derbyshire, and my fellow classmates at her workshops for ongoing support; finally, my oldest friend Sheila, her partner John, my younger son Adam and Yorkshire David, for their patience in frequently reviewing my progress.