Fore-edge painting

Here’s something I never knew existed: fore-edge painting. I stumbled across this in the local library recently, where they had a display of such works by an artist called Martin Frost.

I’ll attempt a description.

• Take a fat paperback book.
• Hold it face up (closed) with the spine in your left hand and the opening edge in your right.
• Fold the spine down and under until it faces the floor.
• Note that the pages on the opening edge have fanned out so that a tiny sliver of each is exposed, creating a largish surface.
• Fore-edge painting involves painting a picture on that surface.
• When you shut the book the picture disappears.

Aha, you say, but won’t you see a painty mess on the closed edges? Well yes, you would, but if you then gild the edge the painty mess disappears leaving just a shiny gold face. It’s fantastic!

A picture paints a thousand words and video paints several pictures a second, so check out the examples on Martin’s web site. It’s even more amazing when another picture is painted on the other side of the pages so you have two hidden paintings in one book. How very clever.

Even more surprising is that when I rushed home and explained this discovery to BishWife, she said “Oh yes, Martin Frost. I remember him explaining to me what he did once.” Turns out they are acquainted through her Morris dancing activities. Small world.