Winter Classes at The Art Center
November 11, 2015
My introductory series, Book Arts: Basics and Beyond, will return to The Art Center in February of the new year. Saturday, January 23, will be a one-day class on the accordion-fold binding. One of the most versatile techniques, it's easy and the variations are endless. Don't strain your eyes on the fliers, the details are below.
Basics and Beyond will begin Monday, February 15, 2016 at 2 p.m. and run the following 3 Mondays: Feb. 22 and 29 and March 7. Subject matter will include tools and materials, defining an artist’s book, generating content, covering boards, sewn and folded bindings, maze books, flag books, and blizzard books. All materials will be provided. Class size is limited to 8 and the cost is $100 for the 4-class series.
The Amazing Accordion is a 3-hour exploration of a binding style that displays beautifully. The class will be held Saturday, January 23, from 9 a.m. to noon. All materials will be provided. Class size is limited to 8 and the cost is $25.
Caught in a Bind
October 29, 2015 Now that we have the printed images for the SDBA Collaborative Art Project book it's time for all the participants to choose a style of binding for our volumes. I got to thinking about the possibilities offered by an accordion-fold spine and before I knew it I'd made 4 samples, trying out different options on a 3-inch book. The pages for the CAP book are 12 x 9 inches, but when I'm experimenting I like to work small.
Making Books at the Women's Museum
October 29, 2015 On October 22 and 24 Laurel Moorhead and I taught workshops in conjunction with the San Diego Book Arts exhibition, Cherchez la Femme. We had a great group of participants making maze books out of a single sheet of drawing paper. It's always wonderful to see what different books are produced from the same materials and formats. A big thank you to Ashley Gardner and Cori Brooks of the Women's Museum for making these workshops possible. And special thanks to Cece who was so gracious and helpful in setting up the space.
Retreats and Workshops
September 29, 2015 From August 30 to September 5 I attended a retreat in Taos at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House facilitated by Sas Colby. It was an exhilarating opportunity to work in complete freedom with a wonderful group of artists. Since I had recently acquired some canvas and dye markers I decided to use them as the basis for an artist's book. The photo above is a spread from Evidence for Eternity.
September 29, 2015 Got home after a road trip through southern Colorado and northern Arizona, including Canyon de Chelly, just in time for a mixed media workshop with Seth Apter, part of SDBA's workshop series. Two days of work in class learning a number of new techniques, materials and tips and quite a few more hours in the studio and Code Blue was the result.
Spreading the Word
August 3, 2015 
Last Friday I had the opportunity to introduce approximately 30 children at 4S Ranch Library to the fun of making books. We made one book based on the song, The Wheels on the Bus Go Round, and a second that was the simple single-sheet 8-panel book. It always looks like magic when it folds up. Apparently there was some doubt that book arts would be interesting to children. Well, one young boy wanted to know if we'll be doing it again next year, and several of the older girls made a veritable library and went home with a fistful of volumes. So yeah, kids like to make books.
Explorations
July 16, 2015
San Diego Book Arts is organizing a Collaborative Art Project (CAP) that has brought together the work of more than three dozen book artists around the theme of the moon. Member Diane Gage offered a selection of haiku as inspiration. The resulting pages will be bound into volumes and also exhibited as single sheets.
This is my contribution, a collage
of decorative papers including suminagachi, Gelli prints and even a magazine illustration repurposed with Nevr-Dull. Each page needed to include some text and all were made on the same paper. Other than that, creative license ruled. The results have been amazing.The project's lead artist, Viviana Lombroso, taught several workshops on Gelli printing. I've been intrigued by this easy method of creating monotypes and have been experimenting. Some results below.
July 16, 2015 Gelli prints with acrylic paint
July 16, 2015 In a recent SDBA workshop with Dayna Collins I had a chance to make some panels using plaster, acrylic, cold wax, stamps, stencils and other materials. It was a process of adding and subtracting, covering and uncovering. The question is always, When do I stop?
My Studio and Me
The Art Center: an inclusive community art space
A new venue for art in Ramona, The Art Center brings artists together to share their work, vision, energy and inspiration, and invites everyone with an interest in art-making to join the process. The Art Center is located at 1140 Main Street, Suite 208, in Ramona.
December 6, 2014 When I was very young I had sewing cards that delighted me. Fast forward 60 years and I recognize a link to my enjoyment of bookbinding. Also a way of teaching Japanese stab binding, which will be the focus of the third session in my Basics and Beyond book arts class. Funny what you can dredge out of your memory.
November 18, 2014 This is a sample of a single-sheet folded book that I'll be teaching in my book arts class at The Art Center, Basics and Beyond. This book is pretty basic but it's a lot of fun to play with. I've made 4 so far and have another one cooking in my thoughts.
San Diego Book Arts
Founded in 1996, San Diego Book Arts is open to anyone with an interest in the art of the book. SDBA sponsors workshops with nationally and internationally recognized artists, free public lectures, and a variety of member activities. Members also receive an online newsletter 10 times a year that provides local, regional and national book arts news.
SDBA had a table at the Codex Book Fair & Symposium February 8-11, 2015, in Richmond, California. I was fortunate to have a couple of my books included. The fair is an international gathering of book artists, librarians, collectors and other book people. For more information visit The Codex Foundation.
Ramona Art Guild
The Guild holds membership meetings that feature an artist demonstration, offers workshops with area artists, and provides a monthly online newsletter for members. Meetings, which are free and open to the public, are held the third Wednesday of the month, except July and August, at 7 p.m. in the Ramona Library.
