In the Beginning is a very simple book about Dartmoor. It's inspired by the open expanses of moorland, which can look desolate, like an imagined place at the beginning of time.
I had previously made four abstract collagraph prints with a wild landscape vibe. However, I didn't feel that they worked with my intention, so I kept them tucked away in a drawer to use for another project. Once cut down to size, the prints have worked perfectly for 'In the Beginning'. Every cloud....!
I have mentioned before that I never throw away any prints from my printmaking, as they can always be repurposed for book covers or cut down to fit another project.
The text inside 'In the Beginning' has been extracted from two books about Dartmoor; 'Diary of a Dartmoor Walker' by Chips Barber and 'After Dark on Dartmoor' by John Pegg.
The short piece of extracted text, or prose, describes another time within the National Park and I've illustrated the inside with cropped photographs of some my monotype prints made with a theme of the Dartmoor landscape.
There are 8 copies of the book, which are a little smaller than A6.
The inside is inlet printed on 120gsm grey Fabriano paper and set in Gill Sans font.
Cover: 'In the Beginning' 2025
Original collagraph print
143 x 102mm
Inside title page
Inside 'In the Beginning' Cropped greyscale photograph of monotype print
and extracted text.
