What is Fore-Edge Book Painting
A fore-edge (or foredge) painting is a little known type of book decoration which reached the height of it's popularity in Victorian Britain. Fore-edge paintings are watercolour decorations, painted on the pages edges (the fore-edge) of a book. This is achieved by fanning the page block of a book, which is then clamped, whilst an image is applied to the stepped surface of the page edges. The page edges are often themselves gilded or marbled and this results in the painted fore-edge disappearing when the book is closed. When refanned, the painting magically re-appears.
The art of fore-edge painting came into existance in the mid 17th century, but was little practiced until the end of the 18th century. Although the actual originator of fore-edge painting is unknown, the art reached it's peak with the Edwards of Halifax. Today fore-edge book painting is practiced by only a few select artists.
Fore-Edge Books for Sale
Clare has been producing fore-edge paintings for the book trade since 1992 and has produced around 1000 works. If you would like to purchase some of her recent work please goto the Fore-Edge Painting For Sale page to see which fore-edge books are for sale at present. She also produces work to commission. If you are interested in commissioning a book please contact Clare.
My Fore-Edge Gallery
The gallery contains many examples of Clare's recent fore-edge works:
Art of Fore-Edge Painting
There are several steps involved when creating a fore-edge painting. A quality image takes time, patience and a steady hand. See how a painting is built up through several stages: