Hello EveryoneThis blog about the late Christopher Weimann (1946-1988)is to share his work on a personal level. As I'm learning to blog there are a lot of oops and deletes by accident like the saying goes "where did it go?" I'm learning as I go along setting it up.
After working three years professionaly as a trained Color Matcher and Leather finisher, designing new colors and finishes for the Design Trade Chris quit; a very toxic job. Wanting to continue working with color and leather he took an evening Bookbinding class at UCLA while trying to find information on marbling. It took years to find information (unlike today) and even more years of experimenting with various colors, such as oils, printing inks, acrylics, gouche sizes and paper etc. Orignially the idea was to make a business with Stationary products but having a business in an apartment was not possible and there wasn't money to rent a space. Actually I'm sitting in this room right now, the converted bedroom to a marbling place and again to a bedroom now and where I paint.
The collage shown in the Title of the first entry was a gift assembled from pictures I sent Milena Hughes who gave it to me for a Birthday gift in 2008 (the photo of Chris was in 1979 while printing the miniature book).
Many of you already know quite a bit from my articles, slide lectures and my book but this is additional and I hope interesting.
I am dedicating this blog to the late Muir Dawson of Dawson's Book Shop. As I wrote in the "Society of Marbling" Newsletter, Jan,2003 :
"Without his friendship, enthusiasm and especially encouragement during Chris's marbling years I don't think you would know about Chris today."
Christopher was too shy to let himself be known, he was just trying to sell some papers to stores etc. Dear Muir told him that he should let people know that he had made the papers.
How it happend I will tell as the blog developes.
A very special moment for Christopher and Muir Dawson
at the symposium at Harvard University where Chris
demonstrated his stenciled marbling for the first time
and the slide presentaion of his research on the marbled Deccani paintings.
"Ebru: The Art of Marbling in the Islamic World"
Arthur M.Sackler Museum, May 24-July 12,1986
The first article I published on marbling, in a Spanish magazine on bookbinding art, had as title: Proper names of marbling: Woolnough, Halfer, Weimann: from tradition to innovation. I have joined in this small entry three names of marblers that I admire not only for his great papers, but for his research work on this technique and for his aim to spread it, to give it to others. But, in my ingenuousness, I presented Woolnough and Halfer as the tradition and Weimann as the innovation. I did not realize that Christopher Weimann was the innovation, certainly, but that he was feeding on marbling tradition and that one day, he himself would be a part of this same tradition. Woolnough and Halfer were also innovative on his time, only time turned them in tradition. Weimann is closer to us temporarily, that's why I was wrong in my appreciation. But the same circumstance makes that we could know episodes of his life and his passion, marbling, with a facility that does not exist in the case of the other two marblers. Ingrid Weimann has created her blog to share with others, with all of us, from her perspective of wife, collaborator and of the sensitive woman who is, anecdotes and curiosities of the life of her husband. Without any emulation, without any certain intention, just to remember. I want to leave these words in gratitude for her generosity and in admiration for Christopher, and cheer up the one who was interested by this blog to leave also theirs, if he or she shares the same admiration and the same gratitude. Some day Christopher Weimann will be the tradition of marbling, he will be, if he is not yet, one of his legends. All my respects to his figure and all my pleasure for his work.
ReplyDeleteI truly have enjoyed following your "story" as it unfolds here. Nothing glib or slick but heartfelt memories filled with love and with loss. Your simple presentation makes it so much more poignant.
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