Brender — Brandis, with his engraver's tools, has sketched a poem line the breadth of wind. It is about the possibilities of imagination, the strength of observation and, perhaps, the origins of life around us.

A member of the Society of Wood Engravers (England), Gerard Brender — Brandis has produced hundreds of drawings, wood engravings and watercolours of flowering plants, many of which were studied in his own garden. These images have appeared in books, including Wood, Ink and Paper, At Water's Edge and Portraits of Flowers (all published by The Porcupine's Quill) as well as in his own handmade editions. His work is represented in the collections of the Royal Botanical Gardens (Hamilton, Ontario), the Missouri Botanic Garden, the Arnold Arboretum and the Hunt Botanical Library. His garden and his studio are located in Stratford, Ontario.

Gerard Brender à Brandis' profile page

• Commended, Society of Graphic Designers of Canada

'Gerard ... sees himself in the longer tradition of medieval scribes and Gutenberg, and most of his important connections are with artists and craftsmen of Europe and the past. His engraving is very much in the British tradition, with the feel of such engravers as Mackley, Robert Gibbings, Joan Hassall and Monica Poole.... In Gerard's case, being a book artist includes being able to do all aspects of the production himself. No other Canadian private press printer is able to combine typesetting and printing with wood engraving, papermaking, spinning, weaving and bookbinding. His lifestyle, which is spare and simple, imposes the onus of inventing and doing everything self sufficiently and provides the opportunity to explore his creativity as fully as possible.'

Multiples, the Journal of the Society of Wood Engravers

'This book is a step on the way towards a better understanding of wood engraving in Canada, by making the work and philosophy of one of Canada's best artists in this medium available at a modest price.'

Hamilton Spectator

'Now for something entirely different ... Wood, Ink and Paper, a book of wood engravings by G. Brender — Brandis. This is actually a charming and rather lovely little book. On first impression, it may seem incomplete -- a series of illustrations without a story. But it's more than that. ''The book,'' writes Brandis, ''is not merely a container holding a number of small works of art -- it is a work of art.'' I tend to agree. Nothing overwhelming -- a miniature -- but with every detail in just the right place.'

Books in Canada

'I've been looking at the work in Wood, Ink and Paper for some time now, attempting to understand images cut so finely into wood and transferred to these pages. The time and precision necessary if each stroke is to take its place among the others must quiet the emotions. The artist's feelings are as complex as the images themselves and, like those images, they are often ambivalent or understated. ...

'Wood, Ink and Paper is well made and comfortable to the hand. The artist's introduction offers insights into the engraving process as well as his feelings about his subject matter and the importance of the book as a format for his work. Brender — Brandis, with his engraver's tools, has sketched a poem line the breadth of wind. It is about the possibilities of imagination, the strength of observation and, perhaps, the origins of life around us.'

Brick