Artist’s Statement

Andrew Marvell’s The Garden

23cm (high) 17cm (wide) 5cn (deep) (open 65cm)

This book, inspired by one stanza from the poem The Garden by the 17th
century metaphysical poet, Andrew Marvell is a unique accordion pop-up
book. Paul Johnson specialises in making books without folds; al the
sections are joined by dovetail joints and interlocking devices. Thus
the whole book can be taken to pieces and re-structured. He uses
brilliant textile dyes on Waterford watercolour paper with additional
pen and ink work.

About the maker

Paul Johnson is author of over a dozen books on teaching children to
make books including A Book of One’s Own and Literacy Through the Book
Arts.
His unique pop-up books are in the V&A Museum in London, the
Bodleian Library in Oxford and most major collections in the USA. The
Paul Johnson Archive, housed at the John Hopkins University, comprises
over 500 items of his artwork spanning half a century. Amongst
commissions was one from Ben Fogle to mark his climbing of Everest in
2018; among awards was the Movable Book Society’s Meggendorfer prize
in 2021.
He lives in Manchester with his St Lucien wife, Ercelia, and their two cats.