Years of experience in making both artists books and journals and this is the first time I have made a woodbook. While frivoling in a local wood shop I came across two delicious pieces of Conkerberry wood - gorgeous for book covers. Moreover, the pieces were shape perfect, narrow and elongated - 7cm x 58cm. The narrow rectangle and the square are my favourites.
I am not at all sure about the archival integrity of the wood but I have combined it with creamy Hannamuhle torn paper and grey linen thread which suit the wood colours. Some of the pages have been embossed with a knotty design and now that it is complete, I think it looks interesting.
I love the rich orange in the Conkerberry (Carissa lancelot) wood - apparently quite unusual in Australian timbers. It grows in small patches in North West Queensland and in the Northern Territory where it is protected. The holes in the wood make it quite difficult to work but I think they add something beautiful to the timber pieces.
