Newport Paper & Book Arts Festival
Paper Marbling
Marbled paper came to Europe from the East around 1600 and embellished the fine work of hand bookbinders. Also, the edges of precious books were decorated with this form of art. In this introductory class, students will gain a basic understanding of the history, techniques, tools and styles of Western marbling. We’ll talk about the color wheel and color theory to guide your creativity. I will demonstrate how to execute the most classic patterns and how to create simple harmonic color combinations. Students will have ample time for experimentation and will make at least 15 unique marbled papers.
Note: Paper marbling is a wet process and the marbled paper needs at least 6 hours to dry completely.
Students should bring: An apron (or clothing for ‘doing art’) and comfortable shoes.
One Day Workshop
Saturday, April 25
9am to 4:30pm (lunch break 12-1pm)
Newport Visual Arts Center [MAP]
For adults and youth ages 16+ (accompanied by an adult)
To help ensure an enjoyable experience for all, we kindly encourage guests to consider attending fragrance-free in support of those with allergies and sensitivities.
Pietro Accardi is native to the northwestern Italian city of Turin, where his father, Gaetano, founded and operated a commercial printing press. His youth spent in the press led him to paper marbling, restoration and bookbinding. In 1997 Pietro established “La Legatoria del Sole,” an artisanal and production-oriented bookbindery in Turin. It served Turin’s Municipal Archives and public and university libraries. After coming to the United States, he began teaching paper and fabric marbling at the “San Francisco Center for the Book” and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. Together with his wife Vanessa, he has founded Accardi Book Arts, a book arts studio and bindery in Gardnerville, to follow his passion for marbling fabric/paper and to preserve the tradition of handmade books and boxes.
Registration for this class will go live, here, at 12pm on February 25, 2025