Sigrid Albert | artist
Sigrid Albert has a Bachelor of Graphic Design from Emily Carr University, and has 19 years of experience in the communication design field. Her specialty is publication design for corporate or institutional clients, book and cover design for publishers, and websites. Over the last several years she has developed an art practice by drawing on location in her East Vancouver neighbourhood, and wherever she goes. She loves zines, street/public/spontaneous/outsider art. Visit her blog at urbansketcher.ca.
Peter Braune | master printer
Peter Braune has been a Master Printer and owner/operator of New Leaf Creative Solutions on Granville Island since 1986. He is one of the foremost Master Printers in Canada and has produced collaborative work with artists including Robert Bateman, Bill Reid, Gordon Smith and Steven Shearer. Peter has worked in Singapore and New York as a Master Printer. He assisted with the establishment of the Singapore Tyler Print Institute in 2000. Peter is also an accomplished fine artist and has sold work across Canada.
The collaboration
The poetry in "Getting To Know You" describes Christopher's experience of discovering Vancouver. Anyone acquainted with this city will find familiar landmarks, vistas, and situations in these poems. After 5 years of living here, our poet operates somewhere between "outsider" and "seasoned citizen." He is still becoming a Vancouverite. And as such, he is in a perfect position to comment on Vancouver becoming a bigger version of itself, and on the in-between spaces that this growth produces. Here is an exploration of the stillness and solitude that exists within the frenetic, electric pace of the city. These poems recount the drastic changes we impose upon our urban environment, and concurrently, the subtle ways in which we are changed by it.
Over the course of six months, Sigrid visited the locations of the poems to collect sketches and photographs. Although she has created many drawings in her lifetime, this is her first attempt at copper plate etching. She has been trying all kinds of techniques including hard ground, drypoint, aquatint, burnishing, scraping, and soft ground lift. Her strong attention to detail, and her mastery of line and shadow translate beautifully to the copper plate, resulting in some rich pieces of art. Sigrid has chosen her favourite long vertical format for her etchings, and this goes particularly well with the subject of the poems.
Our book covers will be printed on custom designed paper made by local paper maker, Reg Lissel. The poems will be printed on a Vandercook Universal I, from polymer plates created at Blackstone Press. We electroplate our copper plates with steel. These will be printed on a Takach etching press onto Arches Text Wove etching paper. All printing and book binding will be done at New Leaf Editions on Granville Island.
All funds raised will go towards the cost of materials.
Any extra funds raised will be divided between the collaborators.
The Book
The broadsheet:
![]()
Book spreads showing four of the poems and etchings:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()