Richard Bolai Artbooks

Japanese Silk Cover journals

richardbolai — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:04:13 +0000

A series of jounals cover with japanise silk textile patterns

Vatican Book

richardbolai — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:12:08 +0000

Project to the Vatican from 2004
1. Binding of 12 documents with Japanese side stitch into book form, cover lain folded inward at foredge
2. Handmade case work to encase books Japanese spine

Summit of the Americas Series – Obama Books

richardbolai — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:39:17 +0000

A series of four guests journals commissioned for the American delegates for the fifth Summit of the Americas , 2009. Cloth with gray laid paper, hand cut 10 x 8ins, 140 pages

One of the four Summit books at the Presidential suits, Hilton courtesy of Roger Jackson. Both United States President Barack Obama and Head of State, Hillary Clinton signed these books.

ArtistsBook at King St. Stephen Museum

richardbolai — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:55:23 +0000

The book and slip case for the Forth International ArtistsBook Exhibition at King St. Stephen Museum in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, 2006

Tactile in nature, the beauty of this handmade book is its red acetate. 305mm x 220mm, fourteen folds including the cover and slip case. The mylar is sewn together in the traditional methods of Japanese binding. Each leaf has an insert of resin paper, tissue paper and a washi thread inlay.

The Artbook Red and the Caribbean sky

The King St. Stephen Museum in Székesfehérvár, Hungary has a rich collection of Artist’ Bookworks. Since 1987, the first International Artists’Book Exhibition” presented 300 works and established the first and only artists’ book collection in Hungary owned by a Museum. In 2006, the Museum from the city of Székesfehérvár has organized the Forth International Artist’ Books Exhibition which this book was submitted.

Book with slipcase

Commissioned books designed for artists

richardbolai — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:51:18 +0000

Basic covers with an expendable spine.

When you commission an artist book from the Bookman, each work is personalized with the artist in mind, and nothing brings more satisfaction to see it filled with his or her art.

A Collage from 2005/6 Commissioned

Here is a spread from Dean Arlen, and it is a series of drawings and collages he produced during his six month stay in Cape Town, South Africa. He wanted a book which could expand as that he carry things he found in it. The piece looks like an work of Art. See his exhibition of posters at the Museum of Port of Spain, 2005

The working stages of the folds at the back of the spine

This book was the second prototype incorporating an expandable back to accommodate loose documents without the back being broken or covers being bent when closing it. See more book works

Oil journals

richardbolai — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:48:54 +0000

Since 2000, the Bookman has approached the art of painting though his craft of book binding. The work here is an example of what he is capable of doing. These oil journals are from a series which in 2006 where produced by the influences taken from a painting by Peter Doig called, the music of the future.

Artist journals

richardbolai — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:38:11 +0000

A series of personalized artist journals incorporating images from the artist as the cover.

The back of the artist journal above

Centre of the Universe

richardbolai — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:50:43 +0000

Centre of the Universe – Bookwork, 2006, 21ins x 12 ins x 9.5ins
Gray boards, resin on paper, oils Chinese tissue paper, inlay; Japanese washi thread.

Alexandria was established in 331 B.C. by Alexander the Great. For a thousand years Alexandria maintained its superiority and held its place as the apex of great thought and culture. Its library and Mouseion held treasures of knowledge and research, which became a valuable source of inspiration both artists and writers whose works, became models stimulating the emulation of other intellectuals around the Mediterranean. The work shown here is part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina 2nd Biennale for Artist’s Book, Alexandrina, Egypt 2006

The project posed a challenged, the idea was to incorporate a reading stand as part of the bookwork. Because it had to be reassembled, the apparatus had to be simple to assemble and adding pins to place the centre piece seemed too complex to follow through. The solution was to make a book separately and placed it on the stand.

Covers: 8.5 x 8.5 ins resin on dyed paper, oils Pages 32: Computer generated Islamic patterns on paper, resin, oils.Japanese washi thread Spine: Goat skin

Oddly enough, the envision of the outer stand’s panels were to have a Islamic motif, but Art tends be pure in its content, and the geometric shaped inlay cascaded as a tower-like form (Lighthouse) adding the importance to where the work will be exhibited, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt

Detail of the Artbook, Centre of the Universe, 2006

Artist book – Hiroshima

richardbolai — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:31:51 +0000

HIROSHIMA book produced in 2005

The decision to explode two atomic bombs over a civil population will remain unanswered from the annals of history. Yet the consequences of August, 6th 1945 has demonstrated that for those who lost their lives in this act of war have since tamed the used of the device ever since.

At the residency in Japan I had anticipated visiting the city of Hiroshima for this very purpose. But financial restraints made it impossible. Although my fellow colleague Christina did visit Hiroshima, I was grateful for the pencil rubbing she made from ruins and these plates are the focal point to the book project.

HIROSHIMA opened on the centre spread

With these etchings, I have incorporated in a handmade book called, “Hiroshima”. Constructed in Japan and made with washi paper. The covers of the book were designed by Christina Linderberg and placed within the folds of the washi are the plates of the actual pencil rubbing.

Modified for the Hiroshima project, 2005, a stand using bamboo rods supports the book, and the centre spread includes printed graphic plates of Japan’s national symbol and a photograph of the atomic bomb, named little boy

Pencil rubbing from Buddhist temple ruins, Hiroshima, 2002

Japanese influences, journals

richardbolai — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 22:25:25 +0000

The books below are samples of work I had done since the paper residency. It gives a general idea of how the washi paper has been used and of the Japanese influences

This is a series of elongated journals which the covers were made using a fine coloured washi which were the ends of a tissue type paper I brought back from Mino

Small journals with covers made from sheets of washi I worked on during the paper residency

There is another sample of the texture of the paper used as covers

A synthetic washi meshed as a cover of this backed book

Covers made with a type of washi mesh

Covers using Japanese doll paper and inlay with silver washi thread

Covers using strands of coloured kozo and lined with washi thread

One of my artbooks using Japanese doll paper as it covers

an artist drawing book using washi thread and kozo

Resin covers with washi tissue paper and inlay with washi thread

A leather backed book using patterns related to Japanese paper

small handbooks influence by Japanese patterns