Martin Frost, Fore-edge Painter
Our October meeting was a fascinating evening as we were introduced to the art of disappearing fore-edge painting. Martin Frost, currently the only artist practicing this particular skill, gave us a very interesting talk about he history of decorating the fore-edge of books. He showed us beautiful examples from as early as the 16th century where the title of the book was on the pages so it could be stored stacked on the shelf. Fashions dictated 17th century heraldic designs, 18th century landscapes and 19th century portraits, all of which he showed us.
However, none of these examples were disappearing images like his, where a final application of gold to the edges of the pages renders the image invisible until the pages are spread. 50 years ago Martin was encouraged to learn the skill when working as a theatre artist. He and five other artists were known all over the world for their particular skill but since 2000 he is the only one still working. He showed us some beautiful examples of his work from a huge family bible to a 22mm miniature book, old books and new. As a book binder as well, he makes lovely editions of books like Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter, leather bound with magical disappearing images.
Our members were transfixed by his talk and very keen to get a closer look at his wonderful books. When asked about the future for this craft he showed us some stunning modern artists doing fore-edge painting but the disappearing speciality looks like it made be lost in the future.
