Adela Yustas Romo

Benti, Giuseppe Deepak

Marbler

©Adela Yustas

Capturing the unpredictable

Adela is an Expert in Preventive Conservation
She has given workshops at bookbinding craft schools in Santander, Madrid and Gijón
She uses acid-free German and Italian papers for her works

The imprint of swirling ink on paper makes no two equals and it is this uniqueness that Adela Yustas Romo values the most. In paper marbling she has found a perfect match for her experimental curiosity. As one of the few in the province of Cantabria dedicated to this craft, Adela initially struggled to find suitable quality paper for her books. She turned this challenge into an asset. She learned Japanese decorative paper making techniques such as suminagashi, orizomegami, momigami and itajime, so she could handcraft her own paper. She used this not only for her own books, but also as a supplier to others seeking high quality designs. Today, Adela travels the country to attend specialised book fairs where she can exhibit her work and allow clients to explore the tactility of her paper and see its true colours first-hand.

Interview

©Adela Yustas

©Adela Yustas

What are your sources of inspiration?: The creative freedom I find in the different techniques I use for paper decoration is unparalleled. Ink marbling provides a stage to explore unpredictable outcomes with minimum control. Inspiration is everywhere in nature, its colours and tone variations. I have a predisposition to choose a certain colour according to the season, though blue is always present in my work.
What are the greatest challenges you encounter as a decorative paper artist?: The greatest challenge lies in achieving uniformity in tones, making large print runs very difficult. Touch and colour appreciation are also very limited when commissioned online. I have to wait for my clients to receive the product to know if they liked it or not and pray it was what they had in mind. It is one of the reasons why I make the effort of attending book venues to showcase my paper designs.
What other uses have you found your clients make of your papers?: Other than book restoration and binding, they use it to customise lamp shades and passepartout for photo frames. The most original and unexpected was a client at a fair who wanted to frame and exhibit it as a work of art.
Do you teach your craft regularly to others?: My creative process is very personal and it is the reason I do not train apprentices at my workshop. However, I have taught regularly at specialised bookbinding craft schools and other bookmaking artisan workshops in Santander, Madrid and Gijón, like Escuela Códex, Litografia Viña, and Escuela Creando Libros among others.

Adela Yustas Romo is a master artisan: she began her career in 2007 and she started teaching in 2010