Well you’ve probably seen this book around blogland so my post will be old news. All I can do is add to all the praise this gorgeous little book is getting. Uppercase, the same talent behind the magazine I featured last week, has started a new series called The Suitcase Series. This series focuses on one artist entirely- work and life. This first book is about one of my very favorite artists Camilla Engman. What could be better than the combination of Camilla’s work and the graphic design of Uppercase- nothing I tell you. This book couldn’t have been better. Pulling off the printed rubberband you feel the soft matte chipboard decorated with Camilla’s one color drawings, that’s also spot varnished (!) in patterns along the spine and underneath her name. Extra pieces fall out as you open the book including a little booklet about Camilla’s beloved pooch Morran, a glassine envelope full of postcards, an extra chipboard print and a small bookmark shaped like a luggage tag- oh the details! Did I mention the book has rounded corners? The beginning of the book has writing about Camilla: a foreword from MAV, her biography, a bit about her mysterious husband, about how she started her blog… Usually I skip right to the artwork but this writing was so personal, I savored learning more about Camilla. And then the rest of the book, my favorite part, is filled with all of Camilla’s work. She is so prolific- paintings, ceramics, drawings, collages, commercial illustrations, crocheted dolls, photographs, collaborations with other artists and then those small collections of objects. There are some images of her home too- I’ve drooled over pictures of her home before- how does she keep those white floors clean? So basically this book has got it all- everything you already loved about Camilla and much much more in a very very nice package. Pick up a copy here.

© Julia Rothman 2007