Studio Sunday

In my attempt to do a bit of tidying, I decided to keep soap and sponge in a mortar that I never used for cooking. The soap got relegated to the studio when I discovered that it was a brown medicinal-looking liquid and no one wanted to use it.

Book Arts Tuesday-Video -The Restoration of Books, Florence, 1966

The University of Utah Marriott Library restored this film, originally produced by the Royal College of Art, London in 1968 and has made it available on the web. Here's how they describe it:


The 1966 Flood of the Arno River in Florence is considered the worst flood in the city's history since 1557. It killed 101 people and damaged or destroyed millions of masterpieces of art and rare books. This film follows the work of book conservators whose task it is to repair and restore the thousands of books damaged by the floodwaters. Book conservators Peter Waters and Christopher Clarkson illustrate step by step the covering of a book in leather and the making of a limp velum binding.



The restored edition is distributed by The Legacy Press to accompany its publication of Waters Rising by Sheila Waters with the permission of the filmmaker, Roger Hill, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Florence flood. The film was restored from a DVD copy — the original 16mm film being lost — at the University of Utah Marriott Library.



The Restoration of Books, Florence, 1966

Thanks to the Book Arts List for information about this.

Studio Sunday-Calligraphy

I love looking at all kind of catalogs and often see quotes or sayings written in type. In that vein, I wanted to write something that felt more direct than my usual calligraphy and did this. I framed it in an inexpensive frame from Michael's. I have it propped up against some shelves in the studio as I try to decide what I think. It does accomplish what I wanted but I'm not quite sure I want it now that I see it. Comments are welcome.

A Bit of History at the Brush Gallery

I had a wonderful time last Saturday as part of a panel discussion called “The Roots of ‘The Brush’ & Lowell’s Cultural Revival” at the Brush Art Gallery & Studios in Lowell, MA. I spoke about Art Alive! The Greater Lowell Art Coop which preceded Brush and was very involved in the cultural life of Lowell in the late 1970s/early 1980s.  Richard Howe of Richard Howe.com: Lowell Politics and History wrote a great report. If you read it, please note that I actually said we thought we were cooler not that we were.

Book arts Tuesday-Fig Newton Cookie Books

Mindell Dubansky has had a blog for some time to share her collection of what she calls blooks, books that aren't. She has published a book on the topic and has curated an exhibition at the Grolier Club in New York. On the topic, I thought this simple project from Roaming Rosie was charming.

Studio Sunday-New Use for a Favorite Tool

I love my packing tape dispenser for mailing packages. It has my name on it because it was my constant companion when I helped my mother-in-law pack up and move last spring. I'm so attached to this particular one that I wanted to make sure it always came home with me. 

I'm always looking for the simplest ways to add imagery, color, and pattern to the books we make in workshops. My goal is always to avoid thinking and planning. I love that the packing tape provides such a straightforward way to attach natural and found materials. I am going to replace this dispenser with individual rolls with built-in dispensers for workshops as this one can be tricky to get the hang of if you're not used to it.

If you missed the calendar how-to book post, you can find it here.

Book Arts Tuesday-Making New Year Books

Book Arts Tuesday has been delayed a day because I wanted to share photos and how-to information from last night's New Year Book workshop at the Newburyport Public Library. We used 2015 calendars to say farewell to the old and bring in the new year. The accordion books were what Kojiro Ikegami calls a Double Leaved Album in Japanese Bookbinding. Our books were soft rather than hard cover. All my workshops now fall under the umbrella of what I call "Book-Play." I try to make everything as simple as possible to encourage spontaneity and a playful spirit.

Directions to make a small book from one sheet of paper follow as well as two pdfs that you can download, one with quotes for the new year and one with words I wrote of things we might wish for in the coming year. In the workshop, we made the small sample book and then created books from calendar pages. 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cut the paper so that you have eight pieces of paper. We folded the paper in half and cut it to make two pieces. We put those 2 pieces together, folded them in half the long way, and cut them to make 4 pieces. We folded those 4 pieces in half and cut them to make 8 pieces. You will use 6 or 7 of them.

2. Fold 7 pieces in half. If you used recycled paper with writing on one side, the writing on the outside. 

3. Set them up as they will be assembled to make the pages of the book. The two outer pages of the book will be one layer; the rest will be 2 layers and be held together by glue. We used glue sticks.

4. If you have used recycled paper, you will be gluing writing side to writing side. When you start to glue them, you may find yourself getting confused. If you remember that edges always get glued to folds, it will help. 

5. When the 5 pieces have all been glued together, it's time to finish the book by making the outer two pages into covers. You can use one of the folded pieces for each end to make a covers with 3 layers of paper. 

It will be easiest if you glue the front and back separately rather than cover the whole piece with glue and then try to attach it. I like the thicker cover and it works fine for the sample book. However, you may not like this method when it comes to making a book with calendar pages as the cover will also cover the first page. If that doesn't make sense now, it will when you start to work.

The alternative is to cut one of the folded pieces in half, and glue one layer to reach end to make front and back covers.

Your book can be any length you choose. If you use an odd number of folded sections, you will have a clear front and back cover. We cut our calendar pages to make our book pages the same way as the sample. Cut in half, cut those pieces in half, and continue to we had the sizes we wanted. Some people made smaller books, others larger, some tall, some wide. It was fun to have that variety right from the start. In addition to the calendars, I had on hand papers from my collage box, some dried hydrangea and small greens with packing tape to adhere it, and markers.

New Year Quotes PDF

2016 Words PDF

You can see more photos from the workshop on flickr.

Studio Sunday-New Holder for Pens & Markers

Studio Sunday is back from holiday with a Christmas gift to share. I received this lovely pen holder made of reclaimed pine by Peg & Awl from my friend Cathy. I had been keeping my pens and markers sorted by type in mugs and jars, first on my desk, and then on a shelf when I wanted a less busy desk. I've collected my favorites and put them in this holder on my desk. I do like having them closer by. Also included is a paper opener from my 2007 trip to Korea. The three different sized holes make it possible to sort them into some kind of order. I love it!

Twelfth Day of Christmas

Bidding farewell to the solstice season with citrus and spice, and an angel standing by. The aroma will linger (I hope) through the winter days.

Eleventh Day of Christmas

For an explanation of Twelfth Night and why it is on the Eleventh Day, read John Cutrone's post at Convivio Bookworks' Book of Days.

Book Arts Tuesday-Collaborative Book Project with Zoranoske Vidakouchi

I was thrilled to get the collaborative book I did with my Croatian facebook friend Zoranoske Vidakouchi in the mail last week. He approached me about taking part in an ongoing project of his—making collaborative books and exhibiting them in Croatia. He left the choice of content and my part in it up to me. Since we both post pictures of flowers from our gardens on facebook, I suggested we make a book of photos of flowers from our gardens. He made the book, we both contributed photos, and I did the calligraphy and mounted the photos.

The book contains 9 flower photos from each of us. Zoran sent me his by email and I printed them with my Epson printer. He also sent the names of his flowers in both Croatian and English and translated mine into Croatian. I wrote the names in calligraphy and mounted the photos. Flowers from my garden are in English on the top: those from Zoran's are in Croatian at the top.

I treasure the book for its intrinsic value and as a symbol of the joy of creating and its capacity for making connections across the world.

Tenth Day of Christmas

Ranunculus, carnations, and greens in a new setting. Pottery from Zenobia in Ipswich, MA by Jane Langmaid Ward. Recycling living things to celebrate the returning light.

Ninth Day of Christmas

This year's dining room wreath—boxwood on embroidery hoop with lights.

Eighth Day of Christmas

Following the florist flower theme—Leucodendron and eucalyptus from Dave Eng's Flowers in Salem, MA.

Seventh Day of Christmas-Welcome 2016

I'm starting the year with a new little book and something new in the tech department—making a gif. This book of wishes for 2016 is made from a 2015 calendar. It's my sample for a workshop I am giving at the Newburyport Public Library on January 12. Here is a flyer.