Cindy Saracco marbles paper in her California home studio using acrylic paints and tools custom made by her husband David. After taking several workshops from Pietro Accardi, an Italian-born book artist and marbler, Cindy decided to pursue the craft.
Marbling is labor-intensive process. At least one day before marbling, Cindy dampens each sheet with an alum-based water solution to ensure the paints will adhere to it. Each sheet must be dried and pressed before marbling. When marbling, Cindy scatters acrylic paints into a tray filled with a mixture of carrageenan and purified water. The paints float, allowing her to create various patterns. When Cindy is satisfied with the design, she “prints” it by gently placing a sheet of prepared paper on the surface. Each marbled design produces only one print, rendering every sheet unique. After each sheet dries, Cindy presses it under heavy weight for 1 or more days. Cindy uses high-quality, 65-80 lb. paper stock for marbling. Some of her designs incorporate gold, copper, or silver highlights. Occasionally, Cindy uses colored papers (including red, blue, and black) to produce dramatic effects. Cindy frequently covers blank books with her marbled papers to create one-of-a-kind journals and notebooks. She decorates each with matching ribbon on the front cover and coordinating colored papers on the interior front and back covers. Her clients often use her 5x7-inch hardcover books as gratitude journals, dream journals, prayer journals, genealogy journals, and legacy journals (for later gifting to children or grandchildren). The 3.25x4.5-inch softcover notebooks are great for jotting down lists, reminders, and other notes, as these fit easily in a pocket or purse. Beyond books, Cindy also uses her papers to cover USA-made cedar hardwood pencils and gift boxes of various sizes. Marbling is a centuries-old art form practiced in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. |