Newburyport Magazine

Last spring I was interviewed by Will Broaddus for an article in Newburyport Magazine which is a quarterly publication affiliated with the Newburyport Daily News. He spent a lot of time on the phone with me and asked insightful questions. Jim Vaikornas whose photographs I admire in the Daily News came to the studio and took photos. I am so pleased with the article that was published in the fall issue of the magazine.

Here is a link to the magazine. It doesn't take you directly to the article. If you click on the cover, you should be able to find it. 

Article in Take Magazine

Besides the obvious thrill of seeing an article about myself published online, I find I always learn something about myself and my work when I respond to the questions I am asked in an interview whether it be by way of email, phone, or in person. Take Magazine is about New England culture so she asked questions about what living in Massachusetts and New England meant to me.

“I love living in the part of the country where Dickinson, Thoreau, Emerson, and Whittier among many others lived and worked,” Gaylord says. She identifies with these literary greats and “their sense that the glory of nature can be found equally in something as small as a flower and as large as a mountain or as vast as the sea,” all of which are easily found in the varietal landscapes of New England. “I have spent more than half my life in the Merrimack Valley, first in the Lowell area where I began my life in the arts and immersed myself in the writing of Jack Kerouac, and then in Newburyport, where the river meets the sea, for the past 32.”

You can read the article here.

Book Arts Tuesday-dpi's Art Quarter

I am thrilled to have my work featured in this wonderful magazine, Art Quarter vol. 08: Cut, Slice, & Dice—the best selection of paper artworks from Taiwan. Published by dpi magazine, it's more book than magazine and beautifully designed and printed. It's a privilege to be in the company of such interesting work from around the world. If anyone could translate some Chinese for me, please let me know. I was sent interview questions, some of which I responded to in a rather lengthy manner. I'm interested in finding out how they streamlined my words.

Visit their facebook for more information.

What It Means To Be an Artist

This is my As I See It column in today's Newburyport Daily News:

It’s small—a framed print just over five by seven inches. There’s a sticker on the back: “GREEN BRIDGE (Built 1902) between Newburyport and Salisbury, Mass. from original watercolor by MILDRED G. HARTSON. It’s signed with the artist’s signature on the mat and on the back. I recently purchased it at Flukes and Finds. I had to buy it, not for the image but for its creator. In a roundabout way, I had unfinished business with Millie Hartson. If the name sounds familiar, it is because the upstairs gallery at the Newburyport Art Association bears her name.

When I moved to Newburyport in 1985, I was a new mother in my early thirties. As an artist, my work was primarily calligraphy but I was in a time of creative transition. One of the first things I did after my arrival was to join the Newburyport Art Association. As I had prior experience with a non-profit art group in Lowell, I was quickly recruited to serve on the board. The NAA was also in a time of transition. Its current building had been purchased in 1969 and the needs of the building were a strain on the organization. Drawing visitors beyond the immediate downtown was more difficult in the days before the Tannery. There was a recognition that changes needed to be made. However, any suggestion at a board meeting would always be followed by “What will Millie say?”

I never had much personal contact with Millie, but I had opinions about her. Millie was old (in her early 80s at the time) and traditional (paintings of local scenes). I think because my own work was in flux, I was hard on everyone, looking at their work with the same critical eye I was casting on my own. I didn’t know where I was going but I wanted it to be someplace new. I was looking for what I considered to be an expression of the deepest part of me and I couldn’t understand how a painting of a bridge could ever fulfill that role.

I began to get an inkling that I was wrong when I was a peripheral participant in a conversation at the art association. Millie was saying that she was destroying the original plates that were used to print her cards. She had stopped painting and wanted to maintain the value of her work. She wanted to honor those who had supported her by purchasing even an inexpensive card. I was taken aback by her words then and they have lingered in my mind for almost 30 years. She spoke with such conviction and clarity. There was no doubt that her work was in fact coming from the deepest part of her being.

Over the years I have been continually redefining what it means to be an artist. For me now there is only one word that that distinguishes someone who is an artist from someone who is not. The word is commitment and the commitment is to the work itself. Whether our work is traditional or avant-garde, painting or photography, sculpture or installation, we are all on a personal journey which requires belief, strength, and fortitude. I now see Millie Hartson as a kindred spirit and am honored to have this symbol of our shared passion.

Here is link to the column online: http://bit.ly/159BJOm

The Spirit Books in Bound & Lettered

The new issue of Bound & Lettered contains an article I wrote about the Spirit Books. You can find information about purchasing individual issues or subscribing here.

Here's something from the article:

Making the Spirit Books has been in many ways about letting go—of words, of imagery, of control—and giving voice to the materials. There is not and will never be a preliminary sketch of a Spirit Book. I work intuitively with no starting plan. I view them as both books and sculptures. As books, I am concerned with the experience of turning the pages. As sculptures, I try to create objects where all the elements work together to create a harmonious whole. It’s not about how I want the Spirit Books to look but how they need to look.

Thank you John Neal!

Jacqueline Sullivan's Appreciation of Jenny Groat

Jacqueline Sullivan has written a beautiful tribute, "Remembering Jenny: A Tribute to Jenny Hunter Groat: August 20, 199 to February 2, 2013", for the Summer 2013 issue of Alphabet: The Journal of the Friends of Calligraphy in San Francisco. Jacqueline was my table mate at the Knowing/Not Knowing Retreat that Jenny led at Green Gulch Zen Center in the summer of 1988. She first got to know Jenny when she hosted her for a brush lettering workshop for the Michigan Association of Calligraphers. As Jacqueline wrote, "Little did I know that that single volunteer act would change my life."

Jacqueline's tribute is personal and profound. She shares Jenny's wisdom and her accomplishments: The artist as dancer, The artist as designer, The artist as painter, The artist as inspiration. There is a long section on Knowing, Not Knowing that gets to the core of Jenny's philosophy and deep compassion.

Jenny suggested that we think of ourselves as vessels. She said that we could not just keep pouring things into the vessel. "You must," she said, "give something up." Give up something, she suggested, that is getting in your way. Give up fear and your lack of security and replace it with courage and trust in your bigger self. She gave us the mantra "settle yourself on yourself and let the flower of your life blossom."

You can find information about Alphabet here.

1000 Artists' Books, supposedly

We never realized how skeptical we were until our kids pointed out that we begin every story that we have not witnessed personally or heard from many different sources with the word "supposedly." So despite emails from the editor and publisher, I was "supposedly" in 1000 Artists' Books until I could see the images of my work with my own eyes. Knowing that I would get an author's copy, I was holding off on a trip to the bookstore. Yesterday I stopped into the Jabberwocky Bookshop. Since I purchase most of my books there, I only felt a little guilty looking through the book and not buying it. As usual, I started at the back of the book so I got to see most of the pages before I found Spirit Book #37 near the front. It is truly a wonderful collection and I am honored to be included. I'm looking forward to spending much more time with it when my copy arrives. Thanks to Sandra Salamony and Peter and Donna Thomas for putting together such a great collection and the Jabberwocky for being a great resource to the community.

Gifts Tutorial & Giveaway

As I mentioned yesterday, I created a tutorial in pdf form for the Gathering of Gifts: Accordion Book workshop. It has 14 pages of step-by-step instructions and two pages of quotes to use in the books you make. I am offering it on lulu.com for $5.00. I particularly like lulu for downloadable digital files because the buyer has an account where the pdf is always stored. Should it get lost on your computer, you can always have access to it online.

Giveaway!
I am giving away two copies of the tutorial to two randomly selected people who share a favorite quote in their comments. I will compile the quotes in a later post. Please make sure your email address is included so I can contact you if you are chosen. The comments will close at midnight on Friday December 9.

A Gathering of Gifts Accordion Book Tutorial can be purchased at lulu.com.

Book Arts Tuesday/Letter Arts Review

I was so excited to get a copy of Letter Arts Review in the mail yesterday with my article on making books with children that I had to feature it here. It is beautifully designed by the Editor and Designer Christopher Calderhead who so graciously invited me to send the article and lots of photos for illustrations. I think the best way to represent the magazine is to show you a page and short paragraph of each of the long and in-depth articles. I'll start with a quote from mine which is my personal story of the development of my teaching children in schools.

From the beginning, I have always viewed the book as a vessel, a container for content. I was never as interested in the actual binding as I was with finding the most expressive form for my thoughts and ideas. Shortly after my journey into bookmaking began, I wrote the following:

Books are intimate; they welcome personal encounters.
Books are humble; they fulfill their potential closed as well as open.
Books have depth; they are rich with the possibilities of endless variation.
Books have spirit; they are dwelling places for our thoughts and feelings.


Seal Carving in Japan by Christine Flint-Sato

THE SECOND RULE: THE RULE OF COMPOSITION
The restricted space of the seal requires considerable design acumen and precision, but if successful, will embody the Chinese ideal of the seal as 'the world in a square inch'. For connoisseurs a seal will provide as much satisfaction as looking at a good piece of calligraphy or ink painting.


The Five Stages of Writing by Steven Skaggs

The problem with the issue of illegibility vs. legibility is that it depends on a false assumption: that writing is inherently linked with language. The falseness of this assumption isn't obvious; we often tend to think of writing as the jotting down, or notating of words. When writing is framed in this way as a linguistic pursuit, the legibility dichotomy emerges with an almost moral force: legibility serves language, illegibility snuffs it, and therefore calligraphy that is illegible is less than legitimate. But the linguistic link hides a deeper and more fundamental connection: writing as a gestural, graphic activity. It is writing's graphic role, rather than its role as a linguistic notation, that opens new vistas for us visual artists.


Wissam Shawkat by Elinor Holland

But recognition is not the goal for Wissam. As he says of himself, he started as a calligrapher and arrived as an artist. As calligraphers we too need to recognize ourselves as artists and continue to press on in the evolution of our art form. He is very wary of using the term "craft" in this discussion. Craft is all to often used to belittle the art of lettering, and Wissam sees calligraphy as a fine art no matter what culture it comes from. He feels that all arts—music, sculpture. architecture—are continuing to develop and evolve.

The cover artist is Yukimi Annand.

Subscriptions to Letter Arts Review as well as individual issues are available from John Neal Bookseller.

Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet

I'm so excited about the cover design for my new book which comes out at the end of April. The concept and design are by my son Brendan, the drawings are mine. Here's some information about the book:

Explore the fascinating world of handmade books. Learn about their history around the world while you make your own books with earth-friendly recycled materials. All you need are cereal boxes, grocery bags, scissors, glue stick, and Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet.

Follow the step-by-step directions to make sixteen different books including
• Wish Scroll from Ethiopia
• Medieval Book of Hours
• Time Line Accordion book from Central America and Mexico
• Book of Haiku from Japan.

For over twenty years, Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord has been teaching bookmaking in schools and libraries where her workshops consistently get the highest ratings for combining creativity and enthusiasm with clear, precise directions. Her years of experience make Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet easy to use and filled with creative possibilities.

as a pdf

Recycled Materials for Making Books pdf

I will be teaching at the University of Utah next summer (very exciting to be in Salt Lake City again and to add a trip to eastern Utah) and put together a list of materials for the workshop. After that, I was inspired to put the materials information from makingbooks.com together with some photo pages of materials in a pdf.

You can download the free pdf through lulu.com.

How To Survive and Prosper As An Artist

The sixth edition of Caroll Michels's book, How to Survive and Prosper As an Artist: Selling Yourself without Selling Your Soul, has just been published. I was so impressed by her previous edition that I hired her to coach me to promote my Spirit Book exhibit in 2005. She was a great help both practically and emotionally. One thing I learned is that the first person you have to convince you are worthy of attention is yourself. When she was working on this revised edition, she requested information about using the internet and I am pleased to say there are five paragraphs in the book about my doings on the web. I'd give her book high recommendations even if I weren't mentioned. She is practical, knowledgeable, and has the artists' interests at heart.

Caroll was interviewed by Jari Chevalier as part of her Living Heroes series of podcasts. You can listen to it here.

And you can get career information based on the Appendix of Resources in her book at the Artist Help Network.

Annual Juried Issue of Letter Arts Review

I have a piece in the new issue of Letter Arts Review. It's exciting to be part of this beautiful issue. In reading Editor and Designer Christopher Calderhead's comments, I was surprised to learn that the placement of the images was in alphabetical order of the names of their creators. I couldn't picture my piece in a better pairing than with Cari Ferraro's books. The whole issue is full of wonderful work, all beautifully displayed.

After many years of using my lettering mostly in correspondence and around the house projects, it is finding its way back into my work. As always, a new piece of work comes from a period of simmering. I first got interested in the idea of superimposing my lettering on photographs as a kind of digital graffiti when I was walking around Lowell recording sounds as part of a Sound Workshop (this will be a long time simmering) with Walter Wright of 119 Gallery. When I saw this empty billboard here in Newburyport, I knew immediately that this was a perfect background. I'd like to make it a series but empty billboards are infrequent. The one in Newburyport was left blank for quite a while so I had the mistaken notion that if I spotted another one I didn't have to rush to take the photo. After a siting in Haverhill, I've learned that time is of the essence. Or better yet, be prepared with the camera in the car.

Fantastic Five: Alphabet Books

Fantastic Five: Alphabet Books is the second in the Workshop Papers Series which are reasonably priced pdfs of my workshop handouts. They include directions for projects and photographs of completed works for inspiration. Fantastic Five has directions for five alphabet books that go beyond A is for Apple. This celebration of the power of the twenty-six letters and the words they make is recommended for grades 3 and up.

Available at lulu for $2.95.

Bound & Lettered Article/Recycled Bookmaking

The current issue of Bound & Lettered has an article I wrote called Bookmaking with Recycled Materials: A Journey. An essay about my conversion to using recycled materials and the benefits, both expected and unexpected, is accompanied by photographs of sample books and ideas for projects of your own.

500 Handmade Books Podcast

500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form (500 Series)

Juror Steve Miller has recorded a podcast about 500 Handmade Books which can be heard at the Lark books website.

500 Handmade Books

Lark Books has just published 500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form (500 Series). Part of their 500 series, it is a visual exploration of the form. After a brief introduction by juror Steve Miller, page after page of photographs follow. As with any book exhibition (except ones where you are allowed to handle the work), there is a certain frustration in not being able to see more pages and examine the books more closely, but that does not take away from the stunning and inspiring presentation. I am honored to have three of the Spirit Books included.

Artist Book News

Jill Timm of Mystical Places Press publishes a biannual newsletter promoting books by professional book artists. The Spring 2008 issue is now available for viewing. The Spirit Book CD is featured in this issue along with wonderful work by Alex Appella, Karen Hanmer, c.j. grossman, Taller Lenateros, Ruth E. Edwards, Johanne Renbeck, Patrice Baldwin, Jamn Kellett, Fran Watson, and Laurie Spitz and Amee J. Pollack. You can download the pdf here.

Bound and Lettered Article

An article I wrote, The Reading Room: An Exhibition of Artists' Books about an exhibition I organized of work by Boston Book Arts members at the Newburyport Art Association's Laura Coombs Hills Gallery during the 2006 Newburyport Literary Festival, has been published in Bound and Lettered magazine.