The Marblers

The introduction to The Fab Book has to be prefaced by all "The Marblers" who were influenced and pasted on the mystical art of marbling. It is the story of people as well as the art that touched them. The narrative has to start some place since we will never know its beginning or its end. That starting point has to be 1989 and the First International Marblers' Gathering in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I have to thank Mindy Dubansky of The Met in New York and 'The Doctor of Marbleosity' Jake Benson for inspiring me to get off my butt and 'do the tell.' Thanks also to marbler Tom Leech of The Palace of Governors Print Shop in Santa Fe for his past and continuing work.

 
 The Marblers

In early 1989 while trying to arrange speakers for the First International Marblers' Gathering in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at what I call St. John's School for Junior Spooks, I wrote Richard J. Wolfe  asking him to be a speaker at the event.  Dick Wolfe was an author, historian, and marbler. Polly Fox of the marbling journal Ink & Gall had already tried to get him to attend and was unsuccessful.  I tried contacting him hopefully to make the argument that he would be a great addition to what I modestly called "The Largest Assembly of Marblers in the History of the Universe"  His rejection letter to my offer pretty well summed up what some of the the traditional bookbinding elder statesmen and establishment figures felt about the new generation of crazy artists who were rediscovering the "ancient" art or craft of floating colors on water and printing the image that was created onto another surface. 

Dear Mr. Coventry:-

     Your letter of March 15 indicates to me that you are probably a nice guy, well-intentioned and serious and interested in doing the right thing.  And you seem to be aware, as I am (and as are a few of the old-time marbler with whom I have been in contact) about the problems existing on today's marbling scene -- unbound enthusiasm, but limit knowledge on the part of many young marblers which, as you imply (or as I infer), need tempering.

     Nonetheless, my time is severely compromised, and I have to carefully pick and choose in order to survive in an overly busy world and still pursue my own interests.  I thought that I was very definite when writing to Ms. Fox, but I shall now iterate my very answer to her about participating in your forthcoming gathering: no.

My marbling history should be out in the fall, and I am hoping that it will begin to set a standard whereby the rediculous (sic) statements that have been coming out about marbling and its history will be measured in the future.  My book will be highly documented; the typescript I turned into the press had over 200 pages of notes and references to sources and documents, and unlike most of the recent literature in this field, will indicate to the reader that my information is anchored into bedrock and not dangling from thin air.  This, and the translations and other literature on marbling that I have been publishing (and hope to continue to publish), is my contribution to the field.That's enough for me; I have no more to say. And, as I have observed in academe, I do not wish to get involved in meetings that are dominated by people who know the least but want to talk the most. I don't  want to compete with them or be involved with them.

     I wish you well in your gathering, and I hope that all enjoy themselves.

 Richard J. Wolfe (1928-2017) handmade stationary marbling (8 1/2 in. by 11 in.) dated March 22, 1989.

Santa Fe is an arty town. Its has long been known as "The City Different"  and the capital city of "The Land of Enchantment",  New Mexico.  Long before the Pilgrims imported marbled papers from England; or the Dutch had exported toys wrapped in marbled papers to avoid paying Colonial duties on them; and Ben Franklin marbled the edges of our Continental currency, the Spanish had brought books to Santa Fe with marbled end pages. And in 1989 this small city with a big reputation and history was home to some incredible marblers including Pam Smith and Katherine Loefler and some miles north in Taos were  Polly Fox and Dexter Ing, editor and publisher of Ink & Gall not only the premier marbling journal of the time but as The Toas News newspaper described the quarterly journal... it was "the only one in the world."

Paper Marbling in Iran ... کاغذ ابری

*Google translated from Persian

Workshop paper marbling in the library and the National Museum held property
Workshop paper marbling, with the holding of the 8th Festival of the eighth month in the dignity of the National Library and Museum in 1395 property.

The Economist-Iran Workshop paper marbling in the library and the National Museum held property
Astan Quds Razavi endowed, workshop paper, Mehdi sohrabi, teaching with cloud and cloud maker, for free on Saturday 16 August 1395 solar from 13 up to 16 hours.

Cloud storage is one of the ancient arts of Persia in the book of the fan layout. Cloudy with artists create eye-catching color combinations and random patterns and beautiful, compelling and an imagination on paper quotation. «Cloudy» in the term paper, with different colors on it درآمیختن, نقوشی SCR is similar to cloud or water waves, emerged. Of such paper to an exquisite accompaniment to the margins of the book linear, mrghaat, text and line drawings, cover parts, astrbderghh books, ghlmdan and oily box field. This paper today, but more for a piece of blogging.




Malek National Library and Museum ", with cloudy course (abrubad paper), an introduction to more traditional arts areas students judging and layout books with one of the most attractive part of this technique provides. Mehdi sohrabi, cloudy and ghtaa, kermanshahi Madras this workshop. He was previously a few workshops and training courses on construction of the National Library and the Museum of paper marbling has held property.

He tells about this: "making and taking advantage of the cloud paper, common since the Safavid in Iran. The artists of this period were his popular roles with various colors and shapes and drawing on paper پرمایه roles. This technique however in the Qajar period in Iran, Iran to India ronhad oblivion but went on there. Since the Japanese way also. Japanese artists also performing guest on the papers get, it put an upgrade. Making travel more cloud around his long, West of the Ottoman and then went to Iran and Europe continued to make changes where it was returned to Iran.


According to him, nowadays, Japanese artists and leave, have an abundance of interest to build a paper marbling and many creations in this field have shown themselves.

This cloud maker adds: "now we have sought after holding several courses and workshops now open to practical manner in the library and the National Museum of Iran in the field of property, techniques of making abrubad to both athletes and learn aficionados».

According to there are exquisite versions of linear sohrabi, paper abrubad at the Institute of the National Library and Museum property, such that the provision of appropriate training for and provides the students can take part in an old art associated with this attractive, practical way, cloud storage techniques to make فرابگیرند.

Those interested to participate in the workshop paper marbling to register can on Tuesday and Wednesday, 12 and 13 August 1395 solar from 10 to 16 hours contact telephone number 66700878.

The 8th Festival of the eighth Moon, the coming decade with dignity at the same time from 14 to 24 August 1395 with a variety of programs in the field of solar art and culture of the Islamic Iranian national library and Museum "to the property address sq., Tehran, Imam Khomeini, the national garden, the street front of the United Nations».

This workshop with the capacity of 40 people were being held, but the presence of the person in it only with a previous registration will be possible. The priority of the presence at the workshop with مندانی interest will be due to capacity limitations, as early as possible and call register.

Digital Marbling

Samuel W. Webb "PAPER MARBLING, a true abstraction."

Samuel W. Webb marbling from:  https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18718467/

 Samuel W. Webb was a little known American marbler who practiced oil based marbling in the early 60's. He marbled on a size of gum tragacanth with lithographic ink thinned with rectified turpentine.  He is mentioned in an early 1963 edition (Vol. I no. 2) of The Guild of Book Workers Journal and was featured in the February 1962 American Artist magazine (below).

In the 1960's there was a renaissance of many things in the U.S. including marbling. I think I started to marble quite by accident some time around '64 or '65 in Provincetown, Cape Cod. We hippies were living in a very small duplex on Commercial Street in front of Yeffe Kimbal's studio cottage. She was making large thick polymer paintings from plastics that her husband had helped develop.

Yeffe Kimbal, American Indian Woman Artist, A painting from her "space period".

 In our tiny backyard were a couple barrels of solvents Yeffe used in her work. I would 'appropriate' a little and mix them with waste paint from my family's little paint store (The Color Bar, Milford, CT) and pour them on any discarded cardboard I could find. I was like a mad crazed scientist/artist high on the fumes from the solvents that I had liberated. One day it rained and I had to pour off the excess water from my half-dried makeshift canvasses. The oily film on the pooled rainwater, when poured off that film printed a simple marbled pattern onto the receiving piece of cardboard ... a light went on in my toasted brain.

From 'American Artist' February 1962.

70s Hippie Collage Posters

Oil based marbling on waste cardboard used to pick-up the remain of paint from a large marbling tank after printing large fabric pieces. As a Hippie I couldn't afford to buy good paper nor could I afford to waste anything. The pigment was compressed over the 10 foot length of the tank and sspray paint was used for different effect. Discarded magazines were cut up for the collage elements.

Marbling Chronology Test from Katherine Loeffler

    Year                  

 Katherine Loeffler combed marbling detail.

A.   713                                   
B.   794                   
C.   1151                    
D.   1447                    
E.   1550-1650          
F.    1500's                    
G.   1586                     
H.   1589                    
I.    1615                        
J.    1627                       
K.   1751                    
L.    1700's                    
M.   1755                    
N.   1775                       
O.   1824                      
P.   1853                     
Q.   1854                          
R.   1881                         
S.   1885                       
T.   1909                          
U.   1920                          
V.   1942                           
W.   1963                         
X.   1975                           
Y.   1983                            
Z.   1989                                                

  Event  

1. The 53rd generation of Hiroba family exhibited suminagashi at the Second Industrial Exibition in Japan.
2. Benjamin Franklin used marbling (nonpariel pattern) to frank (edge print) paper currency.
3. Sydney Cockerell moved the firm of Douglas Cockerell and Son to Grantchester, a suburb of Cambridge, England.
4. Birth year of Mustafa Duzgunman, famous Turkish marbler.
5. First International Martblers' Gathering.
6. James Sumner published  Mysterious Marbler.
7. A Buntpapier (endpaper) factory was establish in Leipzig.
8. A Japanese legend relates that the secret of suminagashi was given to Jiyemon Hiroba by the god Kasugamyojin.
9. Decorated papers (marbling) appeared in Demark.
10. Liu Sha Chien - Earliest known marbled papers in China, made with watercolours on size thickened with wheat paste.
11. The Whole Art of Marbling was published by Peter Cottam.
12. Necmeddin Okyay, master marbler of Turkey, died.  His specialties were Necmeddin-ebrusu (Flower motifs) and yazili-ebru (a resist technique ).
13. Near Eastern marbled  pictures and miniatures were created in the Persian, Turkish, and Indian styles.
14. A document granted the privilege of making streaked (marble) and paste papers to Heinrich Trorbach in Germany.
15. Suminagashi technique evolved.  The entire supply of suminagashi was reserved for use by the royal court for 400 years.
16. Sir Francis Bacon wrote about his discoveries of the Turkish marbling process in Sylva Sylvarum.
17. Phoebe Jane Eston's Marbling - A History and A Bibliography was published by Dawson's Book Shop.  
18. Earliest known marbled papers in Turkey.
19. Birth year of Kouichi Yamada, Japanese suminagashi artist who practiced in Otaki, the center of handmade paper-making.
20. Charles Woolnough's The Art of Marbling describes the entire process of marbling and provides samples of patterns. Since marbling practices had been kept secret within the guilds, Woolnough made himself very unpopular with members of the marbling trade. 
21. Italy was the European gateway to the Levant and artesans were making marbled papers which were known as 'domino' papers.
22. Die Fortschritte der Marmorierkunst, by Joseph Halfer, Budapest, revolutionized marbling by introducing pre-prepared marbling colours and carragheen as the size for the marbling bath.
23. French marblers (dominotiers) form guild under Henry III. 
24. Rosamond Loring wrote Decorated Book Papers: Being an Account of their Design and Fashion. The Loring Collection, housed in the Houghton Library at Harvard Univ., Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the most outsanding collection of decorted paper in the United States.
25. George Sandys, an Englishman, publish a description of Turkish marbling techniques, A Relation of a Journey Begun An Dom.
26. Encyclopedie de sciences, de arts, et des metires ... A reference book technology written by Denis Diderot which names certain marbled patterns and contains well known plates illustrating marbling activities and tools.

    

    Above - Katherine Loeffler and student in an undated photo. Below are two Paper Moon cards with her marbling.

    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

   

Water-Float MARBLE FINISH ... Popular Mechanics 1945

"Producing imitation marble by means of floating on water is a novelty technique used in finishing turning, handles, small boxes, etc."