Calendar book 2008

Even thought it might sound too late to talk about calendar books in the end of January, only today I was finally be able to take some pictures and post about our annual collaborative work.
Silvana Amato and I have been collaborating on the self promotional calendar since 1998. And probably this is the way that our Edizioni Almenodue started, without having an official name until much later.
Every year we work together with a different artist that contributes to the calendar and receive a number of printed and bound copies of the piece, in trade of their work. He can be an illustrator, as many time it happens, but we have also collaborated for the same project with type designers, papermakers, bookbinders and calligraphers, many times without personally meeting them. As for our limited edition books, this project, also based on a book structure, takes endless numbers of emails, postal packages of materials from Boston to Rome, and back, and an incredible amount of energy and time. Though, it's a way of collaborating with new artists every year and create something each time unique. An adventure all worth it to take!
We designed the calendar book 2008 with illustrator Susy Pilgrim Waters, whom I have only met for the first time, a year ago, with this project in mind. We decided to reproduce 12 large and beautiful paintings she made on thick, wood board. I have also used some of the images on the top banner of this blog. A pleasure is to see the paintings in person, located in a restaurant called Pomodoro, in Brookline, MA. And a real treasure is the friendship that developed by working together.
In case some are interested in the calendar for the remaining 11 months of 2008,
I have posted on Etsy a few copies for sale. Printed on Fedrigoni paper, is hand-bound with a ring of white embroidered ribbon, with red numbers 8!