About the artist: Elizabeth Nigro

I’ve been binding books for the last eight years, but I’ve been creating since I could hold a pencil. My Father would sit me down to teach me to draw from sight, setting up a stuffed bear for us both to study and compare. I used to bring a little notebook with me everywhere to draw and occupy myself, and its a habit I still carry today. Throughout adolescence I tried calligraphy, sculpture, photography, painting, drawing, any medium I could get my hands on. When I was sixteen, I was enchanted by pottery. I loved the nearly limitless forms clay could take, how a cup could function as a vessel as well as a beautiful art piece to use and see day after day. I loved the practicality and the versatility. For a long while I was sure pottery would be my one true medium. But as I moved on from school, bookbinding slowly took a hold of me.

I’ve always had a love for fantasy, storytelling, and mythology. Throughout college I also found a huge love for the gothic, romantic, and baroque era. When I started to take bookbinding seriously as a craft all of these elements seemed to suddenly become readily available at my fingertips - all I had to do was learn how to bring them into the world, and I’m still learning. Bookbinding has become such a romantic art to me; the tools, the materials, and the equipment are all so lovingly crafted and handled throughout the process, which is extensive. To really enjoy bookbinding, a binder has to almost enjoy the process more than the result. Each project I take these days are full of learning curves and my work is ever evolving. Illustration and embroidery are two arts that have also seemingly taken me by surprise, but I welcome the change and the challenge they present.