Coleen Curry
Muir Beach, California

Coleen Curry bound her first book in 2003 with Tina Muira. She then became a student of Monique Lallier at the American Academy of Bookbinding (AAB) and graduated in 2009 with a diploma in Fine Binding. She has studied with Eleanore Ramsey and Helene Jolis. Coleen assists Don Glaister teaching at AAB and is is President of the Hand Bookbinders of California. She has exhibited internationally and her work is held in private collections internationally. Coleen lives in Muir Beach, CA with her husband, where she makes design bindings, runs trails and rock climbs in her free time.

Website: coleencurry.com

Tamalpais Walking, 2012

Mt. Tamalpais is my backyard, my horizon. Every day, I run her trails, smell her forests, or drive over 'the hill' to Marin or SF. I even glimpse her skirts from bindery windows. The text echoes the feelings I experience while seeing Tamalpais, and thus I chose to depict the Tam horizon through texture. I collected 'Horsetails' from the watershed, dried and pressed them, and made a collage to represent the slopes. I celebrate the fog that wraps around Tam's ridges creating a sea. California poppies and Indian paintbrush are a constant smattering on slopes. Full leather binding, sewn on cords, laced-in boards with matching doublures.

Dimensions: 9.25 x 11.5 x 1.25 inches; 23.5 x 29 x 3 centimeters

Sanded, distressed, and dyed goatskin binding and doublures; inlays of dried pressed 'Horsetail' collected from Tamalpais; painted lizard inlays & onlays; blind & painted tooling.