Patterns.

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A pattern is a design or motive of rather limited size that is capable of repetition, so much vertically as horizontally, and that therefore, by means of them, not only can fill completely a greater space than its own size, but the same cadenza or rhythm of such repetitions produces an harmonic effect, which grants it precisely its decorative characteristic. The essence of a decorated paper is its own multiplication.

On the other side of the scale there is, naturally, the artistic work, that only, original and unrepeatable creation.

And, between those two, there is a heap of possibilities. Engraving, that is a work of art that admits a certain grade of multiplication. And marbling and the technique of paste papers, which are for the most part a catalogue of established models, but where every repetition is simultaneously an original and a copy, always slightly different, of this original.

The challenge that I proposed myself this time was to use some of the motives or original designs that had appeared along my work as a marbler, a few times by fortune and on others occasions for steadfastness, and to turn them into decorative patterns. It was necessary to achieve not only that they could be repeated them in a paper, but that series of papers could be done, and even, than altering the colors, the pattern remained constant and recognizable.

I do not dare to think that there should be new patterns, but I like to see them like my own versions of certain classic ones. Although in a case, the coincidence made to appear a pattern that seems to me certainly unusual.

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Above, the model "Art Nouveau", in fashion in the Germany of the thirties of the XXth century, and a pair of my "copies".

Below, my "interpretation" of the model that needs the use of my dear combs.

In red, orange, black and gold, below

in blue, black and gold and in brown, black and gold.

A book made with one of these papers.

I can make my "interpretation" with one or two branches in every paper, the model of "combs" is called "feathers", which can go straight or wavy.

In brown, black and gold, and below

in blue, black and gold and in red, black and gold.

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Over the model named "wavy thorns" I have prepared a heap of variants of color.

In red and orange,

red or brown,

blue and green,

and green or blue,

all of them made with black and gold.

Certainly, always it cheers me up very much to see how Alejandro uses them in his bindings.

I love this album with its case and the paper placed in perpendicular in every plane.

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Another model that produces a similar sensation to me is the "wavy Gothic", I have done it with the clean edges...

In brown,

red, and blue and green

... and vague ones.

In red,

brown, and blue and green

Of the Alejandro’ works, perhaps the one that more impresses me is that one here below,

the "world’s more expensive book".

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Finally the surprise, the coincidence, an error turned into a pattern.

Seemingly the model that inspires it is the "peacock", but here I do not use the double comb, necessary to realize that model, so I do not find any one to which to refer it...

an innovation?

Blue and green,

and brown or red.

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