{ Bookmaking Bonanza! } : Book Arts Workshop // April 2022
On Saturday, April 23, I will be teaching Bookmaking Bonanza! at the Floyd Center for the Arts in beautiful Floyd, Virginia.
I LOVE teaching Book and Paper Arts but the Bonanza is one of my favorites. We will be making 5 mini books in 5 hours. I am learning all new folds so that even if you have taken this class in the past, there will be new folds and binds to learn.
This is a GREAT class for friends, parent/child and couples to take together. In addition to being a fun, low key way to learn the basics of bookmaking, being in Floyd is an ideal way to spend a Saturday. Visit the Floyd Country Store, hike the Buffalo, grab pizza and a drink at Dogtown…there is lots to do in this funky, little town. Come. make books with me and enjoy a full day in Floyd!
{ PROSPERITY : Word of the Year } : Winter 2022
I have been making Vision Boards, setting goals (both personal and professional) and crafting a Word of the Year on the first of the year for over a decade now. I usually go through a plethora of words before founding the word that fits my feeling perfectly.
This year was no different. I vacillated back and forth with several other words that were not landing quite right. I kept cycling back to ‘Prosperity’ and felt that was exactly what I wanted 2022 to be for me.
While most of us our struggling with on ongoing pandemic, many of us our trying to reclaim some semblance of life before 2019. I know I am. I have not been feeling very creative or motivated to work on my art business. I took a break during 2019-2020. The rest was necessary but I started getting antsy. I wanted to get back to the studio and back to teaching.
Prosperity to means more than money. Prosperity to me comes in the form of creating unique, one-of-a-kind wall art and handmade artist books as well as developing dynamic and compelling art class for people of all ages. Prosperity means creating interesting content for this blog that brings people to living a more creative life. Prosperity means enhancing my amazing relationships with my partner, my daughter and my friends.
As the year goes on and I loose the motivation to keep creating, I always look back on my Word of the Year and revisit why I choose that word to guide my year.
How about you? Do you choose a Word of the Year? How do you stay connected and focus when you stray for your vision?
{ Artist Book : Green Grass & High Tides } : Winter 2021 //
Artist Books are some of my absolute favorite books to work in and to develop as a Book & Paper Artist. With so many found, handprinted and gel printed papers that are way too beautiful to throw away, Artist Books are the perfect solution to house funky collages and practice mark-making and hand lettering.
Artist Books take me YEARS to complete. As I loose interest or motivation in a particular book, I put it away and wait for inspiration to return. This way I have lots of techniques to choose from as my skills develop and I can watch my progress as an Artist over the years. The collages that you see now are not what the final collage will look when completed.
This Artist Book below is 4.5 x 8 x 1” using Canson Watercolor paper. There are (5) signatures bound together using a coptic stitch. In each of the pictures below, I describe the materials I use to create the collages that you see.
The cover of this book was created using a brown grocery bag. The hand lettering was applied using black walnut ink and a handmade cola pen. Collage papers include spray ink (my favorite are Dylusions!), handprinted papers using acrylics and handmade stamps and the black fern prints with a bleach discharge. The back cover is eco-printed on reclaimed wool.
This spread includes found papers, reclaimed paint chip, one of those beautiful gel printed paper scrap, scrapbook paper and hand lettering. I practice hand lettering as often as possible. Artist Books are a great place to work on that particular skill!
This spread includes spray inks, mark-making using black India ink and another handprinted gel print on found paper.
This spread includes spray ink, mark-making using black india ink applied with a handmade cola pen and elementary handwriting paper.
This spread includes spray ink background, watercolor (wet on wet application), hand lettering using black walnut ink applied using a handmade cola pen, and various found papers
How about you? Do you have books that you like to work in? How do you like to work in them? And if you are looking for the next installment of my Printmaking Series…do not worry! It is coming up in my next post. I got excited working in my Artist Books and wanted to share!
{ Bookmaking Bonanza! at the Earthshine Lodge } : Lake Toxaway, NC // Saturday, March 7th
On Saturday, March 7th, my sweet daughter (River, 9) and I will be traveling to beautiful Lake Toxaway, NC to teach the Bookmaking Bonanza! at the Earthshine Lodge.
In this workshop, we will make 5 mini books in 5 hours. Can we do it? Children ages 6 years and up are welcome to join us with an adult. This is a great workshop for mother/daughters, besties, couples and makers of all types. Please join us!
(Click the image below for more details and to register).
