Sollas Bookbinding

Workshops

I offer bespoke 1-to-1 or 1-to-2 workshops for a half day, full day or evening or over several days. My workshops are individually tailored to what the participants have in mind and they can be arranged and pencilled in by emailing ask@sollasbooks.com. Group sessions can also be arranged. I teach different bookbinding techniques such as traditional hardcover journals, coptic bindings, cross-structures, long stitches, box making, single section bindings, concertina style bindings, decorative paper making and others. More info can be found here https://www.sollasbooks.com/index.php/workshops.

I also offer residential workshops with guests staying in our cosy pod and booking their workshop sessions as it suits. A workshop and accommodation bundle can be arranged by emailing ask@sollasbooks.com. These are ideal for people who want an introduction into different binding techniques or who have a very bespoke idea such as binding a story or poetry book, making a bespoke slipcase or clam shell box or photo album. Workshops can run over several days and are finely tuned to each particular project.

Lecturing & Talks

I talk about different bookbinding styles and techniques and about my practice in general including demonstrations. These talks can be arranged for groups in my studio and I am also happy to travel to events such as book festivals.

Curating

I am part of our Uist based artist group 'Strands' and over the years we have travelled with our exhibitions to different places such as Edinburgh, London, Germany and more locally here in different Venues in Uist. Being part of an artists group and working towards a themed exhibition focuses the creative mind and it has certainly pushed my work into areas I would not have considered otherwise. It has opened my mind to the expressive potential of displaying a group of books together as one installation such as in my recent Beach display. In addition to that, it is beautiful to see how the works of our group members interact with each other across the exhibtion venue. I am also part of the Uist Art Association and have taken part in a variety of themed and unthemed exhibtions curated by the UAA.