Information highway

When Christopher started out in the early 70s it was nearly impossible to find information on marbling and it took us years spending weekends at libraries, book stores, art stores etc. to find not only text but also images. Unless we saw endpapers in old books unaffordable to us we only saw snippets of marbled papers. This was also the major reason to make the samples large in his first book Marbled Papers 1978 so a large surface of a paper could be enjoyed. I doubt very much that Chris would have put in so many years experimenting without seeing anyone else marbling and information so easily at hand today with the click of a mouse; amazing and I wonder what he would think of that. Maybe because it was more mysterious and challenging to say the least he kept going and at first envisioned making a living with it. Eventually as he realized it was impossible to produce papers in an apartment he decided to do research and experiment. Working he took copious notes and often I would sit with him after work taking notes. I even hand copied a lent copy of the Charles Woolnough book, the devoted wife and collaborator and ardent supporter!

A few years ago when Muir Dawson was visiting me and I was looking through a drawer full of notes and papers I came across this recreated marbled miniature made by Chris, he outlined it with gold. I had never seen it before. The original had been published in R.F.Martin's The Miniature Painting and Painters of Persia, India and Turkey. London, 1912.vol.11, page 231 Turkish School. I know it was Chris' goal to make a book with original stenciled and resist technique miniatures and he practiced creating them, sadly his time was cut short but at least I can share his dreams and the one reason I did the Tribute book and gave a few lectures. For him it all had to be a challenge and a learning process and he told me that no other woman would have put up with that but I think to see a creative mind exploring and working at it how better could you share a life!

Again, let me say I do this blog on him and his work from my personel point of view, just to share a little joint history of a marbler and his quest. My rewards are the many friends I have made over the years with marblers. Below on the right a resist he made of me.