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Since 1976 Peter and Donna Thomas have worked collaboratively and individually, making paper, letterpress printing and book binding, to create books. Under the previous imprint of The Good Book Press, and the current imprint, Peter and Donna Thomas: Santa Cruz, their books have been shown in individual and group exhibitions in the USA and abroad, and have been purchased for collections around the world. Donna (Millar) Thomas was born in 1957 in San Francisco, California. She attended Sonoma State University where she studied art. She graduated in 1979 from the School of Expressive Arts. Peter Thomas was born in 1954 in Los Angeles, California. He attended the University of California at Santa Cruz where he studied the book arts with William Everson at UCSC’s Lime Kiln Press. He graduated in 1978 with a major in Aesthetic Studies. From 1974 to 1990 they made and sold books at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire. During that same time they also taught papermaking and bookbinding workshops. Once an old book binder told them, You can’t buy experience. This proved true, for school and workshops only introduced them to concepts or techniques. What they learned came from practice. In 1976 they established a private press. At that time their goal was to create books in the tradition of the great private presses: limited editions, made of the finest materials and produced with the highest standards of quality. They printed their first book in 1978, and spent the next ten years producing fine press books in both full size and miniature format. To assure that the books they made reflected their intent, they always made the paper, print and bound the books completely by themselves. In the late 1980’s, concurrent with the infusion of new energy which spread through the book arts community when it was introduced to the personal computer, the Thomas’ vision of the book they wanted to create expanded beyond simply fine press. They began to work in new formats, exploring non-traditional book structures and shaped book objects, as both limited editions and one-of-a-kind books. In 1992 they printed Good Books, a bibliography of their work. This lists over fifty titles, representing many authors and a wide range of subjects, but the Thomases are not just publishers: they are artists who work in the medium of the book. Throughout their career they have been active in the leadership of both national and international book arts and papermaking organizations. They have lectured and taught workshops to book arts students internationally and have published articles on papermaking and other aspects of the book arts. During the 1990s they began to travel, giving workshops and lectures. In the Early 90s they began a project to document the history of papermaking, both at home and abroad. They have published a number of books that document the renaissance of the craft. They also made video documentation of traditional hand papermakers in Europe and from that research produced a video on the ergonomics of hand papermaking. In 1996 they were invited to Australia to teach a five day Masters Class in book and papermaking at the annual Fiber Forum. In 1997 their binding was given special mention for innovative design in the Helen DeGolyer Triennial Exhibition. In 1997-98 The Guild of Bookworkers featured the Thomas’ A Collection of Paper Samples Handmade in the USA as the set book for a national traveling show titled Paper Bound. In 1998, and again in 1999, one of their books was chosen for the Distinguished Book Award by the Miniature Book Society and in 1997 the society presented them with the Norman Forgue Award for their work promoting in the miniature book. In 2001 their binding of James Joyces Ulysses was awarded the Judges Distinction for Innovation in The Helen DeGolyer Triennial for American Bookbinding and the Art Museum of Santa Cruz featured their work in a comprehensive show titled Art Undercover. Recently Donna has been working on miniature one-of-a-kind books that have calligraphy text and watercolor illustration. These books are leather bound with tiny picture leather onlays. Many are about nature, John Muir and the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Peter is working to complete his history of papermaking in the Philippines. He has also been exploring the relationships between paper and fire and he is making a series of books out of instruments, modifying old ukuleles and accordions into various book formats and structures. Together Peter and Donna continue to produce a number of miniature and full size book editions each year.

 

Address: 260 Fifteenth Avenue Santa Cruz CA 95062
Telephone: (831) 475-1455
Website: http://members.cruzio.com/~peteranddonna/