Book Arts Tuesday-An End and a Beginning

Spirit Book #86: Hallowed Beginning

This is the last Book Arts Tuesday post on the blog and it seems appropriate to announce it with an image of one of my newest Spirit Books called Hallowed Beginning. It is named for the birch bark cradle which was gathered on the first day of spring. The birch represents beginnings as do the quiet sunrises of circles and rays on the pages.

The end of Book Arts Tuesday represents the beginning of new things, the biggest of which is a series of youtube videos called The Joy of Making Books which will offer instructions and ideas for making simple handmade books. The videos will be short and sweet and have close up views, unlike the Making Books with Children videos I previously made. I hope to have the first ones up sometime this summer. The ending part of that is that I have stopped teaching workshops in order to focus on the sharing online. I will be posting soon about how I came to making the changes in my work and schedule as part of my 65th Year series. 

Book Arts Tuesday-Alex Appella's List of Books That Teach Bookbinding

I am a big fan of Alex Appella's work with books, as an artist, a binder, and a teacher, in Argentina. Her most recent blog post is titled The Miracle of Book That Teach Bookbinding. Here's how she introduces the books:

aka Where It All Began (For Transient Books)

Bookbinders are curious folk. They are generous with their knowledge, and they are usually quick to share and exchange experiences, successes, and ravenous mishaps. The best illustration of this being the Book Arts List Serv (found at www.philobiblon.com). This online forum of bookbinders, book artists, book lurkers, conservationists and regular humans has been a world wide meeting point for over 20 years. I can't imagine where bookbinding would be (or wouldn't be) today without this resource.

It's no surprise, then, that a lot of bookbinders write books on how to make books. And even less surprisingly, the books bookbinders write about how to make books tend to be really good. There are many out there. Today I pay homage to the mainstays in our studio. The books that have made us the binders we are today.

I am honored that Handmade Books For A Healthy Planet is included in the list. I so appreciate Alex's kind words and that fact that she is sharing the book on another continent. You can read the post here. When I get overwhelmed by the connectivity of the world we live in, I think of sharing like this and I am glad to be a part of it.

Book Arts Tuesday-Stephen Rapp on Working Methods for Lettering

I have long admired the work of Stephen Rapp. His website has inspiring examples of his work. In January he made his first blog post adding insights into his process. Here's how he starts the post:

This is the first of what I hope to be many blog posts. I like to share what I do, so I thought it fitting to start with a simple tutorial on working methods for lettering. This is centered around lettering for reproduction rather than fine art or something like envelope addressing.

In order to be successful as a commercial lettering artists you have to use both sides of your brain so to speak. You need to be both practical and analytical while at the same time maintain a creative flow. It helps to see these as supportive of each other rather than as opposites. Most lettering artists who do a lot of work for reproduction tend to develop and use their own working methods to get from an idea to a finished design. That being said, having more than one way of working can sometimes yield better and faster results.

He goes on to describe the process from concept to handwork to digital. Thank you Stephen for sharing. Lots to learn!

Working Methods on Lettering by Stephen Rapp

Book Arts Tuesday-Spirit Books at Don't Take Pictures

I am so pleased to share this lovely feature on the Spirit Books in the online magazine, Don't Take Pictures.

"Aesthetically, her artist books have the appearance of found woodland objects. Whether perceived as a product of an ancient people or originating from the woods themselves, Kapuscinski Gaylord’s Spirit Books leave her audience questioning their origins and their meaning."

You can see the page here. While you're there, take a look around. There's lots more to explore.

Book Arts Tuesday-White Gloves

Exhibiting artists' books has challenges. Probably the biggest decision is whether to allow them to be handled or have please do not touch signs in the gallery (alas, what I do for the Spirit Books). If they can be handled, the question is then: should viewers wear white gloves or not? The argument for is that it protects the books from the oils in our hands. Against is that we are more awkward with gloves and put the books at greater risk. The British Library has weighed in and they say "no gloves."You can read their thoughts here.

Book Arts Tuesday-Workshop in Gloucester, MA

I'm getting ready for this workshop and having a great time. It's easiest to explain it by sharing the blurb:

Learn to make simple handmade books that require no special materials, tools, or technical skills. They can be produced as one-of-a-kinds or printed in small editions—perfect to give away as keepsakes at readings and events, use as a format for small zine, and share with friends and family. You’ll get advice on page layout, paper choices, and printing and be ready to continue making these books on your own. 

To make design and printing easy, all the books have writing on only one side of the paper. They can vary in size but most are small. I am doing some collaborative projects with friends as part of the process. The first was Morning View Haikus with Anne Mulvey. Anne and I are doing a second volume which will have type rather than calligraphy. I have a few others in the works and look forward to sharing them.

I have the book forms worked out. Now I'll be spending some time on page layout and preparing the document for printing or copying. I am assuming that some people will use their home printers and others will go to copy and print shops. It is as much fun to prepare for workshops as it is to actually teach them.

Book Arts Tuesday and Studio Sunday will be on vacation until April 3. 

Book Arts Tuesday-Women's History Month

Looking back to earlier blog posts, here are two bookmaking projects that relate to Women's History Month.

Grocery Bag Hot Dog Booklet Book about Margaret Knight, the inventor of the flat-bottomed grocery bag. (above)
http://bit.ly/1pn17Lb

Who Am I? Book about Bessie Coleman, the first licensed black aviator in the US.
http://bit.ly/1nhuZHl (below)

Book Arts Tuesday-Mindell Dubansky and Blooks on CBS

I've written about Mindy Dubansky's fascinating collection of "Blooks" before. There is now an exhibition of selected blooks from her collection of over 600 at the Grolier Club in New York City. You can view Mindy speaking about the exhibition and her collection on CBS Sunday Morning here. You can order her book on Blooks here.

Book Arts Tuesday-Spirit Books in Madison, CT

I'm getting ready for a solo exhibition at the gallery at Mercy by the Sea in Madison, CT which opens on February 28. I hope to have four new ones to share. One has the book completed, two have the pages stitched and the binding to go, and one is just beginning. All will still need bases to made and names to be given.

If you're in the area, please come by if you can. I'll be there for the reception on February 28 and the show continues until May 10. Here's a flyer. Feel free to share.

Book Arts Tuesday-Books of the Heart

This year's Books of the Heart || Heart of the Books exhibit from Crouch Fine Arts Library at Baylor University is now online. Always a treat to see their offerings for Valentine's Day.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Book Arts Tuesday-Book-Play for Calligraphers

Last month I did a one-day Book-Play workshop for Masscribes. As in all my Book-Play workshops, the focus was on keeping it simple, relaxing, and having fun. I think I can speak for everyone when I say we had a grand time.

We all sat around one large table made up of multiple smaller ones which led to lots of good conversation and sharing. I very much want to create a relaxing atmosphere in my workshops. If I have any model, it is my children's Montessori preschool classrooms. We made books with sticks and string, fan books with buttons and twist ties, and explored the many possibilities of the hot dog booklet. We used recycled papers including practice sheets and work that never quite made it beyond the drawer. I brought beads and jewelry bits, collage papers, ribbon, and assorted other goodies. Bertha kindly shared pressed leaves, feathers, and quotes. It was a productive and inspiring day.

We all enjoyed the show and tell at the end.

You can see more photos on flickr.

Book Arts Tuesday and Studio Sunday will be on vacation until the new year. I'll still be keeping in touch, but I'm giving myself a holiday break from a regular schedule. Look for this year's 12 Days of Christmas starting on the 26th.