Paperblanks Solitary Oryx Midi Hardback Journal – Lined, 144 Pages

Capture your ideas, plans and memories in this Solitary Oryx midi hardback journal from Paperblanks, with 144 lined pages of 120 gsm acid-free paper.

Canadian artist Alistair Bell is known for his expressionist renderings of the natural world, especially those depicting life in Western Canada. However, he also travelled the globe searching for unique animals and scenes to depict, such as the 1959 Oryx print reproduced here.

The Story Behind the Design

In 1959, when this piece was originally created, Alistair Bell had yet to fully turn his attention and career toward art, and still his expressionist style was already so clearly defined. Using an aquatint intaglio printmaking technique, Bell’s “Oryx” suggests a powerful feeling of both the exotic and the melancholy. For our journal reproduction of this piece, we have added “Solitary” to our title to pay tribute to that sad ennui informing the work; unlike with many of Bell’s animal and bird prints, this oryx was sketched in a zoo rather than out in the freedom of the wild.

Alistair Macready Bell was born in Darlington, England, in 1913 and emigrated to Canada in the early 1920s. It was here that he developed his personal style and rose to prominence as one of the country’s finest printmakers.

We at Paperblanks are proud to celebrate the life and work of Alistair Bell as our first series in our new collection honouring Canadian artists and thinkers. Making the connection even stronger for us is the fact that Bell studied in our own hometown of Vancouver, British Columbia. Bell arrived in our city in 1929 and enrolled at the Vancouver School of Art in 1935. It was here that he gained access to an artist’s press and produced his first print.

This was a true turning point for Bell, who had also attended art school in London, England, and was strongly influenced by German expressionism. He supported his family by working as a draftsman in a structural steel plant, and it is the combination of all these influences that can be seen in the art he created in his small, basement studio.

Bell eventually mastered the techniques of drypoint, etching, lithography engraving and woodcutting and by 1967 was successful enough to leave the steel trade and become a full-time artist, establishing himself internationally for his talent in graphic media.

As one of a number of mid-century artists who developed a distinctly West Coast artistic sensibility, Bell received two Senior Art Fellowships from the Canada Council which allowed him to travel extensively, seeking out wild places and creatures around the world.

For nearly eighty years, Bell’s work has been exhibited internationally and is included in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in England and the National Gallery in Ottawa. A complete collection of his prints can also be found at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria in British Columbia.

Though Bell passed away in 1997 his work and legacy lives on through his brilliant works, and we are honoured to bring four of his prints to our Paperblanks collection.

• Original artwork: Alistair Bell’s Oryx aquatint print
• Era: 1959
• Region: Canada

Product Details

• Size: Midi – 130 × 180 × 20 mm
• Interior: Lined
• Pages: 144 (72 sheets)
• Paper: 120 gsm acid-free cream laid paper
• Cover: Hardback
• Closure: Elastic band
• Binding: Smyth sewn – lies flat and stays durable
• Corners: Rounded
• Pouch: Memento pouch
• Design: Solitary Oryx
• Series: Alistair Bell Collection
• Satin ribbon marker
• 100% recycled binder boards
• Decorative printed cover paper
• Endpaper with credit and copyright information as well as historical background for the original artwork
• Threaded stitching and glue, as needed
• Acid-free paper
• Memento pouch
• Weight: 287 g
• Product code: PB3182-6 | ISBN: 9781439731826

About Paperblanks

Paperblanks works with museums, libraries, galleries and artists around the world to faithfully reproduce remarkable artwork, historic bindings and treasured manuscripts. Every book is made to last, with binder boards crafted from 100% recycled materials, and the back endpaper tells the fascinating story behind the cover design and credits its creators.