Printmaker and book artist Gina Page has spent most of her life on the coast of BC, which has influenced her work. Also a poet and papermaker, her books of poetry are held in numerous university libraries in the United States and Canada. In February, Page will be showing her work at CODEX, an international book arts fair and symposium in Berkeley, California.
Can you describe the work you do as an artist?
For the most part my work right now falls into two categories: printmaking and artist books. The prints are usually a specific type of etching known as an aquatint. While some of these are black and white, most are multicoloured and involve the use of sheer Japanese papers called “washi” to achieve the various colours.
What is your process?
The artist books involve a number of things; my own poetry stencilled or letterpressed onto paper, which I have usually made from hand-gathered and processed plant fibres, and illustrated with drawings or etchings. I then bind the pages into books, using various binding structures such as accordion or concertina folds.
How and when did you first get into this?
I studied printmaking and English as an undergrad at UBC. I also took a number of courses at Emily Carr College of Art and Design where I learned to make paper, bind books and set type, continuing my letterpress instruction that I had begun earlier with Wil Hudson, a nationally known printer who lived for a time in Powell River.
Who or what first inspired you to create this way?
When I was visiting Santa Fe in the mid-80s I met an Israeli scientist and writer who had published his own poetry. That meeting inspired me to produce a small chapbook of my own writing.
Are you originally from Powell River?
I grew up in Victoria and various other parts of BC, usually on the coast. I came to Powell River in the 1970s to teach for the Powell River School District and taught in other school districts as well.
Where can people see your work in person or online?
I don’t have a website yet but if people were to google “Gina Page Seawrack Press,” they would be able access quite a few listings showing images of my work and various writeups. I usually show my work during studio tours or at book art fairs.
Is there anything coming up for you people should know about?
In February 2019, I will be showing my work at CODEX, an international book arts fair and symposium in Berkeley/Richmond California.
