Today I was lucky enough to take up my invitation to visit the house of Mr William Randell, who amongst other things was a dust jacket artist for the Collins Crime Club. He provided covers for such thriller authors such as Miles Burton, Carol Carnac, DM Devine, and many others whose names for me are unknowns, but certainly seemed to be providing death-a-plenty back in the fifties. One more familiar name crops up - he did the first 4 jackets, and more for then promising up and comer Ruth Rendell.
Mr Randell has been a regular reader at the library for as long as I've been working there, but it was only a recent chance conversation with him about Walter Mosley novels that bought to light his career and also his skills as a wood engraver, and also his wife's as a lino printer and teacher.
Today they were kind enough to show me their home and work, with Bill's wife (sorry, in all the excitement I didn't quite hear if it was Jenny or Ginny) particularly expressing an interest in my attempts at lino work and offering advice and also showed much of the excellent work by her former students and even better, her own.
So much to learn tho, much of which about the quality of tools, ink, paper etc. She even went as far as to lend me 3 of her tools, her favourite ones, so I rather wish she hadn't. "Be very careful when you sharpen them" she decreed. Sharpen? The only time I tried sharpening a tool it ended up about half an inch shorter and not one jot sharper. I think I'll just try hers out, then look at getting some more of my own.
Bill has also offered to help me out with wood engraving, if I wish to learn, but I think I'll be sticking to the lino for the time being. The engravings he showed me were so small and fine that I would balk mildly at even drawing that small!
So many, many thanks to Mr & Mrs Randell - it's rare you get the chance to be taken under the wing for a couple of hours by people who are really steeped in what in many ways is a dying art.
Images were obtained from : http://www.classiccrimefiction.com/randell.htm
and haphazardly slung around the page like a total amatuer, by me.
No comments:
Post a Comment