Martin Frost

Fore-edge painter

©Colin Roy

Fred Merz ©Michelangelo Foundation

©Colin Roy

Master of a vanishing art

Martin learned the art of fore-edge painting from fellow artist Don Noble
He was named 2017 Maker of the Year by the Heritage Crafts Association
He used to be a theatre and opera designer

Martin Frost trained as a theatre designer and used to paint sets for Glyndebourne opera house. Whilst there, an artist colleague introduced him to fore-edge painting – the skill of painting a watercolour on the fanned page edges of a book. Frost’s work was quickly in demand from antiquarian book dealers looking to enhance the saleability of their books. It was the start of a long career in which he has now created more than 2,500 fore-edge paintings for dealers, collectors and individuals who are entranced by his ‘vanishing’ paintings. Over the years he has expanded his business to include bookbinding, gilding and miniature portraits, but he remains one of only two professional fore-edge painters in the UK.

Interview

©Colin Roy

©Colin Roy

What do you love about fore-edge painting?: I enjoy showing them to people for the first time – their reaction is a nice pay off. You’ve taken a blank surface and created something that is detailed and interesting and makes people smile – what more can an artist want?
Where do you get your ideas from?: I like to make my work tie in with the book, so if it is a historical book I find an image that relates to that, and I try to produce work in the style of that period. If the bookbinding uses a particular palate of colours then I fit in with that. I am a bit of a chameleon.
Can you apply your work to modern books?: As the market has changed I have started on modern books which I am binding myself and that widens the possibility tremendously. I did a painting a while back that had a spacecraft on it. It’s great to be stretched, and I like variety.
What does the term 'well made' mean to you?: It means something that has been thought about and planned, and has succeeded in its creation through experience and expertise. Everyone can make something, but the difference is the finish and the forethought in it.

Martin Frost is a master artisan: he began his career in 1973 and he started teaching in 2000