Artisan in the Lot, she gives new life to books by practicing gilding and binding

Before being craftsman bookbinder-gilder in the Lothas Castelnau-Montratierin his workshop The Gutenberg Arcade, Odile Quersin, gave herself entirely to her little family. “I was lucky to be able to raise my children,” she confides.

This art craftsman, holder of exceptional know-how, recounts her life journey which launched her on this great adventure.

The master in the Lot and the craftsman

Like any story, a meeting with a person who did paper restoration, here in the Lotwas decisive, and pushed her to turn to this profession. The artist who started it didn’t do bookbinding at all. So they said to themselves that we should learn this art in order to create a link, a complement between paper restoration and the production of a work. The first impulse was given.

The stars were well aligned, since at the time, in 1999, the Midi-Pyrénées region, alongside the DRAC and the Ministry of Culture, had set up a program for the transmission of exceptional know-how. “Like, I was able to join this program, here I am, at 30 years old, looking for training. It is a couple of master bookbinders, for two generations, Gérard and Madeleine Recurt, based in Toulouse, who passed on all their know-how to me.

She learns traditional bookbinding

They taught me traditional bookbinding, with their technique, and gilding with gold leaf or on film” says Odile Quersin with a little emotion in her voice. During 3 years she acquired all the tricks of the trade, the gestures to adopt, the little secrets but even more, “I went a little beyond the scope of the initial training. I had the opportunity to also do paper restoration, that is to say, to specialize in everything related to posters, comics, cadastral maps.”

Gutenberg’s arcade

At the end of her training, it was in a village in the Gers, in Lavardens, that Odile Quersin with her small “promotion” group for the transmission of exceptional know-how, opened her workshop “L’arcade de Gutenberg” . The mayor of this small town of barely 400 inhabitants wanted to highlight artistic crafts in his very touristy village. During certain periods, there could be up to 200,000 visitors. “We therefore found ourselves with more than 7 craftsmen in different fields: bookbinding, stained glass, painting restoration, pottery, cabinetmaking, lacquer, stonemason, ceramics…” The objective was to take advantage of the character tourism of the region, in particular thanks to a castle which hosted major annual exhibitions.

The choice to settle in the Lot

Since this period, Odile Quersin has traveled throughout France before installing seamstress, press, flattener, folder, burnisher, gilding plates, mule, stamp… in Castelnau-Montratier.

But then why did this artist from Cambrai, who trained in Toulouse, who worked in Gers and Haute-Loire, choose to settle in a small village in the Lot? “I discovered the Lot when I was young, during a family vacation. Later, I also lived there for a few years, near Saint-Cyprien. Since that time, I always knew that Quercy Blanc would be the place where I would one day return to settle.”

A book, a meeting, a challenge

While wandering through her workshop, judiciously arranged, to optimize her various work plans, Odile Quersin reveals her world of marbled papers, creations or old ones, notebooks ready to be bound, takes out examples of more or less damaged books, her work in class to argue his speech “binding and gilding cannot be improvised, it is very technical. This work requires adapting to each medium. Each book to be restored is unique.”

Moreover, for Odile Quersin, each work is a challenge to take on and this is what drives her in this profession. Down with gloom!

Understanding customer expectations

“Before any restoration, I talk a lot with the people who come to bring me the books to restore. It is important to understand their expectations, to choose papers, leathers and processing together. I receive them in a joyful jumble of papers and leathers to better narrow down their choice,” she explains. This step leads to the development of a facsimile, the future identity card of the book. This document serves as a reference throughout the process, especially for collectors who want uniform bindings for their libraries.

The bookbinder uses the facsimile to define the materials (canvas, leather, etc.) and specific details of the binding, such as gilding and typography.

Thanks to this facsimile, Odile Quersin carefully selects the materials – leather, canvas, paper – as well as the specific details of the binding, such as gilding or typography. Its know-how covers a wide range of leathers: chagrin, fine-grained goat leather; basane, smooth sheep leather; calf, or even parchment, less common but of great finesse.

For her, respecting the time of the book’s creation during its restoration is essential. Restoring an 18th century work^e century, for example, involves avoiding modern or mechanical papers, preferring paper made by hand, in accordance with the techniques of the time. This attention to detail guarantees a faithful restoration, respectful of the history and authenticity of each book.

Since she has been practicing, Odile Quersin has known stories, seen multiple books which, thanks to her, have been brought out of oblivion, brought to light or saved “from a slow death” by degradation. Although she has a great deal of knowledge, the artist plans to perfect her skills in the art of making marbled paper. There is no shortage of ideas, just a little more time to achieve everything she would like.

Marie-Françoise PLAGÈS

Gutenberg’s Arcade: binding, gilding, cardboard and furniture upholstery for individuals, administrations, archives, notaries, etc. Rens. www.reliure-dorure-quersin.fr, [email protected] or 06 95 26 59 44.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.