Gardens of Delight

Machacek, Jim and Sibyl Rubottom

Published by Bay Park Press. False Bay Editions, San Diego, 2009

About this Item

Lush and striking colors characterize this meditation and survey of the variety of garden types, presenting them in a continuum quite original and ingratiating. No. 8 of only 20 copies printed, signed by Rubottom. Folio. The custom box created to house the 14 pieces measures 34 by 24 cm, and it is about 3.5 cm in thickness, with a greenish yellow silk as its outermost sheathing, and a metal twig like clasp to hold the two panels of its front gate or entrance down very much in the style of a gate one might find at the entrance of a Japanese garden. 14 pieces, each a folded sheet brochure. The sheets are of a card stock, and to be specific, 250 lb. Fabriano Rosapina Bianco. The first of these pieces has a brief preface by Rubottom explaining the impetus for the book, its objective, and various details about it, such as its being printed using letterpress, monoprint or intaglio techniques. The second piece serves as a sort of title page, with several quotations celebrating gardens and gardening. After which, each piece is devoted to a particular type of garden, and seeks to impart its essence through the artwork, which is a blend of the representation and abstract and employs collage arrangements. The garden types include The Primordial Garden, The Secret Garden, The Desert Garden, The Rose Garden, The Orchid Garden, Garden of the Mystics, The Water Garden, The Night Garden, The Herb Garden, The Garden of Eros, The Butterfly Garden, and finally, the Japanese Garden. But these separate units are all of a single piece, with the colors from one flowing seamlessly into the next, and indeed, these separate pieces could have been assembled as a single seamless fold-out concertina. The authors/artists have in book form successfully captured the magic, mystery and spirit of the garden, and also created one of the most stunning of contemporary artist's books. Their artistry applies to all aspects of the book, moreover, from the Japanese gate-like front opening, to the lining of the panels we pull to the side, to the lining within. Hardcover. Boards lined with silk, and we believe, Japanese silk. Copper mounts with a copper rod latch.

Seller Inventory # 20050

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Gardens of Delight
• Publisher: Bay Park Press. False Bay Editions, San Diego
• Publication Date: 2009
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First Limited Edition.
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • Gardening
  • Artist's Books
  • Gardens and Gardening
  • Artist's Book