Nine Dragons

2019

Artist’s book. Limited edition of 5. 10 gilded boards screen printed with images of dragons with acrylic overwashes and applied gold to rear. This is an accordion binding in a wraparound case of gilded board with pierced black goatskin overlay. Housed in a custom made clamshell box with gilded and screen printed labels in Chinese and English. Screen printing by I Dress Myself, eco screen printers of Frome. The images of dragons are based on a 13th century scroll by the Taoist Chinese painter Chen Rong, now housed in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The cover depicts silhouetted paddy fields seen through a Chinese lattice window. The structure is reminiscent of painted screens with gilded lacquer work. No. 1/5 was awarded a Highly Commended Silver prize in the Designer Bookbinders International Competition 2017. The theme was Myths, Heroes and Legends and I chose to depict the ancient Chinese myth of the nine dragons who are the sons of the all powerful Dragon King. They are manifestations of the Dao, the central truth of Taoist philosophy, the creative forces of Nature that appear for a moment then vanish in mystery. No. 2/5 is in a private Chinese collection. No. 3/5 is coloured. Please enquire about its availability from Reed Contemporary Books.