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01/01/2022

HAPPY 2022!

It is once again, a brand new year. Amidst the insane happenings around the world, I must say, 2021 has been a rather challenging, fulfilling, enlightening and a year filled with immense personal growth. In this new day of the new year, I reflect upon the things that has happened in the past year that has made the future a far brighter and exciting one.

Firstly, my lack of posts on my page is because of a rather personal reason. I am currently in my first year in Graduate school, studying a Masters in Arts for the Conservation of Cultural Relics in the Tainan National University of the Arts. I am now currently based in Taiwan and therefore, will only accept commissions if they can be sent to me via post.

Secondly, the journal I have chosen for 2022, is a homework that was given to me by my dearest teacher and mentor, Mark Cockram. He tasked me (a long time ago) to explore the binding techniques of Jean de Gonet. I decided to use the fish skin parchment I made, paired with a soft plate printed rainbow prints of the fish I used for this parchment: the trout. This was bound sewn on cords, featuring the fish skin parchment on the spine as well as the corners. As fish skin is very translucent, I added coloured paper under the skin to brighten it and to give it variety.

In a Chinese new year greeting “年年有餘”, which translates to “Abundance Every Year”, I look forward to this new year with abundance of love, joy, happiness, opportunities, great health and new knowledge.

Here’s wishing the world, a better future, while I study hard, to become a bookbinder/conservator!

28/07/2021

I find a naked textblock very disturbing, so here’s some clothes for them!

Beautiful Journal Covers For A Beautiful Customer It has been a good long time since I last posted on my website/blog. It has been a rather difficult time for me, losing a great student, as well with...

19/06/2021

In loving memory of Gur Sevak
21 December 1992 - 19 May 2021

This feather was on the book you showed me when we first met at my artist talk in 2019. I remembered how happy and proud, yet apprehensive, you were to show me your work. I told you it looked great but you needed to work on your corners. I was very inspired by what you did with this feather on leather. And that you were so creative and ingenious to have thought of this idea. For 6 months now, you came every Saturday, without fail, and I always feel the passion spilling out of your every pore for this craft we both share. I could pour all my inspirations, motivations, encouragements, passion and love for bookbinding and feel it reflect back. Because I knew you loved it as much as I do. I taught you how to do corners just May 8th, and how you were so happy when you finally nailed it and made your own beautiful corners. It was also that very week you received your finishing press, for you insisted that you wanted it made by . I remember how you were so excited and happy and carried it in your bag and hugged it so tightly.

Your want to learn more, achieve more, was a challenge to me, because I've always struggled working with leather and that you have placed this trust in me to teach you what I know. I cannot believe that we did not even get to finish this binding we started together. I was so excited because I wanted to show you that I found a cloth that matched my leather, because you saw me struggle to find something that matched. I wanted to show you a mistake I made so that you know that even I make mistakes constantly. I wanted to show you the beautiful but tedious step of having an infill before the doublure. I wanted you to know that the beauty of this craft is limitless. But Life has other plans for you. I never knew that losing a student, a fellow bookbinder and friend, can be this hard. It is exactly a month since you left, but today, it is a Saturday again. Saturdays have not been the same since. Be well, wherever you are now. You hold a very special place in my heart. Goodbye, Sev.

Inked on June 5th by
Still healing.

09/02/2021

I am very pleased to be one of the invited exhibitors for The Threads That Bind Volume 1, encompassing artists & designers across a broad spectrum of the associated visual arts and crafts.

Looking forward to featuring some of my works from before, and also some new works that I have been working on.

Special thanks to the organisers for inviting me, as well as featuring me and my works to introduce me in your Instagram page. Do take some time to look at the other exhibitors that will also be showing in this show. The Threads That Bind

05/01/2021

When looked at closely, frog skin is very amazing, it has tons of details, both on the surface as well as the flesh side!

Frog Skin Journal for 2021 Frog skin is very amazing. Firstly there is no need to pare it down because it is thin and very strong. Secondly, it is very easy to use. It adheres very nicely to boards...

01/01/2021

Welcome 2021! May this be a year filled with love, joy, experiments, explorations, exciting results and awesome books!

Hello 2021 Happy New Year everyone! To start off this new year, I present to you, my 2021 journal, made of the two materials that I’ve been exploring with: Tyvek® and Frog Skin! The words “二O二一“ is...

22/12/2020

Yay! I am a recipient of a Girl Scouts Book Artist badge!

My First Girls Scout Badge: Book Artist This is the most exciting and amazing Christmas present. To be a recipient of the USA Girls Scouts Overseas - Singapore Book Artist badge! About a month ago, I...

08/12/2020

As a bookbinder, one of the things that we always look forward to, is a beautiful book. This book, is the biggest highlight for me for this year. I look forward to many more wonderful things.

A Supremely Beautiful Behemoth This book, to date, is the most beautiful and the biggest book I have ever laid my eyes and hands on. Cabinet Choisi De Curiositez Naturelles by Georg Wolfgang Knorr is...

24/11/2020

A floral rebirth - A rebinding for an old bible, now with a refreshing, elegant and beautiful floral cover.

A Floral Rebirth Very often when customers come to get their bibles rebound, I will suggest for them to look for a patterned cloth that they like at fabric shops. The choices of printed fabric today...

21/10/2020

Something that I have been busy with for the past half month. Making frog skin parchment and leather.

The Beauty and Making of Frog Skin Parchment and Leather For the past 2 and a half weeks, I have been experimenting with frog skins. Earlier in the month, Louis and I visited Jurong Frog Farm, located...