Dolph Smith has literally flown around the world teaching the making of books, as far away as Australia. His skill at teaching plus his humor makes him dearly loved. Retired from a long university career, he is now very selective about where he will teach. He frequently shares his passion for bookmaking at Penland, Arrowmont and Haystack. And the Eureka Springs School of the Arts is very fortunate to have him back again for one week this August. 
His own books which he creates are as much sculpture as book and combine the use of many different techniques. Yet, he adheres to the traditional structure of a book as containing pages, a text block and a cover. In his class he shares his skills and knowledge in a playful and enjoyable way. He encourages experimentation and problem solving with various materials. Glass, metal, wood and polycarbonate are used to construct the covers, while traditional paper folios are stitched together to make the text block.
Cover to "Fish Stories" by Dolph Smith
Cover to "Left Overs" by Dolph Smith
I’ve known Dolph for a long time. When I first met him he was teaching drawing at Memphis Art Academy and painting large beautiful watercolors. Frequently he would share with me his latest idea of getting the best out of his students. I remember a drawing technique using a paper cup full of ink with a pin hole in the bottom. He wanted his students to loosen up by using this unusual method. And then there was the time he put all his students on a city bus and had them sketch the people they were passing. He wanted them to learn to make quick sketches. Dolph's teaching is as creative as his own work.
Contributed by Eleanor Lux, Founder and Board Member of ESSA
Space is still available in Dolph Smith's class, scheduled August 3-7. Please visit esartschool.org for online enrollment.
0 comments:
Post a Comment