Marlborough/Nelson Report June-August 2026
Helen Harrison, Liz Downey, Emily Lake
At our Top Of The South April get together Jenny Laycock, a member of the Nelson branch of the Association of Book Crafts (www.abc-nz.org.nz), bravely showed up in spite of having to wear a mask to not share a cold and wearing a moon boot. She was ready to get messy. She brought along all the tools of the trade and sample books she had made. Her demonstration on making a booklet was an inspiration to all those who participated. After the tutorial Jenny, also an avid printmaker, set to work on the print press cranking out thirty-two embossed covers for a Book Crafts challenge. Some members made booklets to keep their 10 x 10 challenge prints in. Lots of ideas bandied about for future get-togethers: a collaborative collage? A print crawl - sort of like a pub crawl? One person starts the ball rolling then passes the print on to the next person who adds their mark. The final print made by many hands.
Some members submitted relief prints to the ‘Love Letters Botanica’ call for entries at www.loveletters.org.nz. These prints were exhibited 1 May to 29 June at Auckland Botanical Gardens, Manurewa. They are then travelling to various botanical-themed spaces around New Zealand during 2026. The collection will then be donated, where it will be cherished and used for printing education.
Jenny Laycock’s demonstration on making a booklet.