In loving memory of Gur Sevak
21 December 1992 - 19 May 2021
This feather was on the book you showed me when we first met at my artist talk in 2019. I remembered how happy and proud, yet apprehensive, you were to show me your work. I told you it looked great but you needed to work on your corners. I was very inspired by what you did with this feather on leather. And that you were so creative and ingenious to have thought of this idea. For 6 months now, you came every Saturday, without fail, and I always feel the passion spilling out of your every pore for this craft we both share. I could pour all my inspirations, motivations, encouragements, passion and love for bookbinding and feel it reflect back. Because I knew you loved it as much as I do. I taught you how to do corners just May 8th, and how you were so happy when you finally nailed it and made your own beautiful corners. It was also that very week you received your finishing press, for you insisted that you wanted it made by @louiskwok. I remember how you were so excited and happy and carried it in your bag and hugged it so tightly.
Your want to learn more, achieve more, was a challenge to me, because I've always struggled working with leather and that you have placed this trust in me to teach you what I know. I cannot believe that we did not even get to finish this binding we started together. I was so excited because I wanted to show you that I found a cloth that matched my leather, because you saw me struggle to find something that matched. I wanted to show you a mistake I made so that you know that even I make mistakes constantly. I wanted to show you the beautiful but tedious step of having an infill before the doublure. I wanted you to know that the beauty of this craft is limitless. But Life has other plans for you. I never knew that losing a student, a fellow bookbinder and friend, can be this hard. It is exactly a month since you left, but today, it is a Saturday again. Saturdays have not been the same since. Be well, wherever you are now. You hold a very special place in my heart. Goodbye, Sev.
Inked on June 5th by @valerie_vagabondink
Still healing.