In Memory of Don Guyot, post by Dennis Plank
Don Guyot, Intrepid South Sound Plant Rescuer at work. Photo by Andy Hopwood
Don’s original work upon which the background above was derived.
The following image and text was found on the Guild of Bookworkers website. Don was a past Vice-President at Large in that organization. The description of the image is from Don and I suspect most of the short bio was also as it has the feel of his writing.
Anatomy of Gray, Don Guyot Western marbled paper executed using Colophon Water Color Marbling Inks on carragheenan medium and transferred onto Rives Lightweight gray paper; number one in an edition of six, meant to be exhibited side by side to show consistency of imaging. The degree of consistency exhibited on one’s marbled paper is the degree of mastery of the craft the marbler may claim. Since the viewer of this piece will not have the advantage of seeing the remaining five, they will be left wondering whether this particular marbler achieved the mastery sought. Having the full advantage of seeing all six sheets of the edition, the marbler can truly say that he shares in their wondering. 70 x 48 centimeters. Created 1994.
Don A. Guyot was born in 1944. Following college, Don Guyot completed a master’s degree in librarianship and began working at the Seattle Public Library. Intending to become a rare book librarian he completed a second master’s degree in ancient Greek history at the University of Washington. After becoming interested in and diverted by hand bookbinding, he left librarianship and opened a repair bindery in Seattle. He learned to marble paper largely on his own because he could not find the papers he wanted to use in his business, and began teaching workshops throughout the country. In addition to Western-style marbled papers, he also excelled in the art of suminagashi, an ancient Japanese technique of decorating paper by floating inks on water.
You are welcome to leave memories of Don as comments to this post. Comments are not intuitive. There’s a place at the top of the screen where it will either say “no comments on this post” or will list the number. Click on it to get to the comments screen.
Hard to figure out what to say. This is a beautiful tribute, Mr. Plank. And I love Andy’s photo. It was tough to catch the man standing still when he was mission driven…well done. He enjoyed this work very much. Some of his ashes were sprinkled by trillium on his property, where his memory will live on. Don is missed by many, for a number of reasons. Thank you for honoring him here.
As I read this moving tribute, my mind connects the loss of the “old growth” volunteers to the loss of old growth habitats. The networks Don weaved, the supports he provided to the communities he lived in, the beauty he nurtured, provided the oxygen for the well being of this planet. May his legacy live on.
I was dumbstruck when I learned of Don’s death. He seemed..indestructible, like a gentle force of nature. If there was one word that could describe him, it was ‘gentle’. Or maybe ‘gentleman’ in the truest sense of the word. What a kind man. He always had a twinkle in his eye that told me, ‘don’t take me too seriously’, and he always had a corny joke to go with it.
We are a poorer world with his passing.
I took a class from Don in Minneapolis and went on to teach marbling for a while. He was a great teacher, a talented artist and a good human.