Create custom decorated papers for your next book project!

There are no available registration dates at this time.

Marbled papers and decorated paste papers are great ways to infuse a custom color palette and design sense into book projects. Use them for endpapers, book covers, and boxes, or in other art practices like collage. This workshop will cover the basics, like how to prep paper and paints for each type of decoration and how to use tools specific to different designs.  Practice traditional designs like marbled chevrons, french curls, and thistles. There will also be plenty of time for experimentation, especially with paste papers. One day will be devoted to each type of decoration (marbling and paste) and students will end the weekend with a stash of custom papers ready to use in future projects and the skills needed to continue at home.

Lunch each day is included. Lodging is available on campus $75/night, private room & bath.

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Instructor: Richard Reitz Smith

Richard Reitz Smith is a letterpress and book artist who excels in marrying traditional techniques with technology and is the Book Arts Program Chair and Studio Manager at Maine Media. He is the owner of DoubleDoor Creative in Camden, ME. In 2015, Richard was the first Book Artist in Residence at Maine Media where he wrote, illustrated, printed, and bound a limited-edition abecedary of alliterative haiku. Richard received a BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in painting and illustration.

After working for three years developing products for Crayola and Liquitex, he returned to school and earned an MFA in graphic design (Tyler School of Art- Temple University). Then started a five-year tour of universities as an art and design professor which led him to New York City, where he taught at Pratt Institute and School of Visual Arts. While doing this, he freelanced as an illustrator and graphic designer for companies like The GAP, Macy's, American Craft Museum, Metlife, Pearson Education, and Scholastic. Then he took positions at Clicquot, Inc. and Clinique Cosmetics consecutively. For Clinique Cosmetics, he managed multi-million-dollar, international, seasonal product and promotional launches as the director of package design worldwide. For Clicquot, Inc. he was a one-person art department for the wine importer/promoter of Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Bouchard, and many other ultra-premium wines. It was in NYC, that he found and frequented The Center for Book Arts learning much about letterpress and the book as an art form.