Journal // Can I Borrow Your Spoon?

Can I Borrow Your Spoon? is a 272-page book of paintings and writings by Rebecca Commissaris and Aaron Patzer. The book follows the artist’s 3000km journey on the Te Araroa Trail and includes 116 paintings and texts produced over four months on the path.

Can I Borrow Your Spoon? is about developing process and cultivating craft outside the limitations of society. Two years later, back in the city, the same approach was applied to the production of the 272-page hardcover book. A collaboration between a book designer and the artist, this project was an exercise in refining the process of bookmaking as a craft. A limited-edition of 150, the book was intended to be as much of a work of art as one of the paintings. Both the designer and the artist were invested in elevating the publication’s design and materiality through a thorough investigation into form. From the headband to the page numbers, every component of the book was highly considered as a representation of the story, its location, and the values of its makers. Process and craft was their incentive. When designing the maps, an academic specialist was consulted to ensure best practice was utilised in representing the trail in cartographic form. Typography was carefully applied as a modern counter to the conservative convention of watercolour painting. Colour was derived not only from the landscapes traversed but from the cultural context of local tramping, inspired by a historical collection of ephemera. The foil on the cover specifically references the silver of a camping spoon. Materials were chosen with the purpose of leaving very little environmental impact. The book is almost entirely plastic-free—unfortunately, after many trials, the binder was unwilling to guarantee linen thread over polyester thread and they had to compromise sustainability for quality. The local printers and binders were pushed to their limitations in our quest for quality—there were no less than 26 test prints made to ensure the colour of the pages was correct.

There is only one rule for each of them: paint daily and write daily, no matter what. Played out day-by-day in plein-air paintings and insightful storytelling, this book relays an intimate conversation between an idealist and a pragmatist.