Ross Ryan: Crinan to Catterline, The Logbook Vol. 3
Published by The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, 2022
Texts by Ross Ryan and Christina Jansen
Photography by John McKenzie
Designed by James Brook
ISBN 978 1 912900 56 5
230 x 180 mm | 112 pages | Printed by Pureprint on Arctic Volume White 170gsm, with matt laminated paper cover printed on Arctic Volume White 250gsm
This is a catalogue that I designed for Ross Ryan’s exhibition, Crinan to Catterline, at the Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh, from 1 to 24 September 2022.
Ross Ryan’s artistic practice combines his intimate knowledge and understanding of the west coast of Scotland, his life as a professional skipper and his life as an artist. In 2021, Ross sailed the longest passage he has made on his boat, Sgarbh, to date; his intention was to record the journey between his home in Crinan to Catterline.
In this catalogue, alongside the works created on the voyage, the artist lays bare the weather conditions, his encounters with people, the places, the difficulties, the triumphs – of sometimes feeling alone, of feeling small, whilst feeling an intense wonder at the landscape from sea or land.
I created a palette of colours drawn from the artist's work to differentiate the different levels of information in the book – paintings and drawings, diary entries, photographs, and ephemera – alongside two typefaces, Bookmania and Columbia Titling, to create a hierarchy of information. I made full use of with the way that the quirky details in Columbia Titling are revealed when it is displayed at a larger scale, details that carry associations of the hand-painted names found on boats without being overly ‘nautical’.
The front and back cover feature a full bleed wraparound detail of Ryan’s painting, Storm Arwen, Catterline, 27/11/21, selected by the directors of the gallery from a series of cover proposals that I presented; the title is set in different weights and sizes of Columbia Titling and is centred in a block, giving a taste of the layout inside. The inside cover features a plan of the Sgarbh, from The Motor Boat and Yachting magazine, October 1948, taken from the artist’s archive.
Tommy Zyw, Director, The Scottish Gallery: I have had the pleasure to work on several exhibition catalogues with James Brook. James understands the individual requirements of the artist, gallery and audience. He has an in-depth knowledge of design and printing. This he combines with creative flair and a practical and hardworking approach.