Éilís Murphy

Éilís Murphy made her first book in 1986. It was an alphabet book and she was six years old. Ever since, creating things has been a central part of her life. How things work has always held a fascination for her. She loved to combine materials and processes in an unconventional way, so when she studied at the National College of Art and Design she was drawn to printmaking as it was the perfect union of creativity and mechanics. In 2003 an American bookbinder came to the college and gave a module in bookbinding. She was hooked and applied for an internship that summer at the prestigious Center for Book Arts in New York and spent three months as an apprentice to Roni Gross. She has been binding books ever since and has trained with the Society of Bookbinders (UK), Frauke Schroeder (Berlin), West Dean College (UK) and volunteered with the Paper Conservation Department in the National Gallery of Ireland. The beauty of bookbinding for Éilís is that she can use traditional techniques that remain unchanged for centuries, while combining them with a contemporary design and her own artistic innovation. She is a member of the Society of Bookbinders (UK), the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, the Graphic Studio Dublin and Visual Artists’ Ireland.

See her website.