Alison Jane Webb

Born in South Yorkshire, I now live in Winchester, where I now work from my home studio making books, alongside printing, collage and other creative caperings, using my love of texture and pattern and putting combinations of these together.

I completed my degree at the Winchester School of Art, which was closely followed by a Post Graduate Certificate in Book Arts and Crafts from the London College of Communication, where my passion for art bookmaking flourished. I love the form of a book and the potential it has, the power a book can have. A blank book is waiting to be filled, it is waiting for someone to pour out their mind, their thoughts and inhabit an alternative place for a little while.

All my books are entirely hand made; hand stitched where appropriate and hand finished. It is a process that is time consuming, but this itself, having something which is hand crafted, is as valuable as the materials used. Equally important to me is the history of the materials and the life they have led before I use them. Whether this be using beautiful book binding papers, Liberty fabrics or Tweed, all with a great history, or simply ferreting about and finding second hand fabrics and materials that I can re-use and make a new story with.

Alongside the materials I use, I also work using my beautiful cast iron book press for my book binding, as well as typewriters for some of my work and also using my 221 Singer sewing machine.

I will always try to give as much information as I can about the product, including paper types and what materials can be used on it and I am also happy to answer questions. I also make bespoke commissions to your specification. For example, I have made memory boxes for people who have very special things to keep. This feels like a special chance to make something that really means something to someone.

When not working on commissions, I love working on my own ideas, such as exploring the idea of the world in miniature, puppets and theatre sets or my much yearned for flea circus.