“Be My Valentine”

“Be My Valentine”

What was planned as a Valentine-making workshop, turned into a Valentine bookmaking experience instead…with the creative participants learning how to fold an accordion book with pockets, and adorning, embellishing and enhancing it with all manner of sumptuous materials!

Participants glued together prepared strips of high quality drawing paper, which had the pocket folds set up for them. The pocket folds were folded, then unfolded, so that the participants did not have to measure them out. Each paper strip was also folded in half, and organized in sets of two.

After choosing their strips, gluing them together, then re-folding the pocket folds and then the center fold, the participants went on to fold the rest of the accordion structure. They added the covers which were cut to be wider then the width of the accordion sections, and folded the edge of the covers into the book, creating flaps or vertical pockets, or trimmed them off.

Then the real fun began. Decoration! Adornment! Embellishment!  Ribbon, lace, stickers, washi and fabric tapes were used to create design, text and image.

Participants employed all of the materials in fresh and imaginative ways, combining, layering and playing with them to create complex, whimsical and elegant Valentines that became a delicious feast for the eye, while the pockets offered a place for secrets, and possibly poetry.

Glittery stickers, resembling crunchy sugary treats were a hit, transforming the books into sparkling sculptural reliefs,

personalizing their pieces.

Participants used tapes to create patterned borders, 

ribbons to hold their books closed,

and ruffled laces to add that “je ne sais quoi” and finishing touch to their creations.

And of course, there are a million ways to say, “I love You!”

A personalized handmade work of Valentine book art would do just that!

Here’s to Amore!

Happy Birthday SMPL

Happy Birthday SMPL

December 2015 marked the 125th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Public Library. The Library celebrated from November 2015 through January 2016 with programs and special events that “honor the library’s position as a connecting point – bridging the past to the future, bringing community members together, and plugging library patrons into the resources they need to read, connect, relax and learn.”

I was honored to lead a bookmaking program for families and folks of all ages on Saturday, January 12th.

Sat, Jan 9

Make a Fan-Style Memory Book Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 11:00 am Main Library, Youth Activity Room, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard For families with children and adults. Commemorate the library’s anniversary with a memory book in this craft workshop.

Let the fun begin!

After folding their accordion spines, participants added covers and pages to create their books.

Our first hour was spent learning how to create the book structure and doing so, then…

we got to the fun part (well, it is ALL fun…)…what to add to our books.

Colorful, glittery stickers were in abundance.

The folded “fan” book (which has some similarities to the  “Flag Book“) can stand up on a surface in a star-like shape…

so that the pages can be seen from different vantage points, and used to great effect for display. Great for a centerpiece, and to display photos on.

Participants enjoyed a multitude of foam sticker letters.  Has spelling ever been so fun?

Here’s our line-up of stellar assistants, two library pages (yes, they are still called “pages”,) and a volunteer.  It would not have been the same with out them!  THANK YOU Perla, Keisha and Cassandra!

More letter stickers, and a layering of color, texture and shapes creates an elegant cover.

This one’s for Mom…(George’s Mom…)

The books become sculptural when three-dimensional elements are added.

     Proud BOOKMAKERS share their completed masterworks…

Displaying an  impressive creativity, use of materials, and sense of design.

One appreciative patron took off on the idea of creating a book to commemorate  “her” library…

This one may be archived by the SMPL…it’s a keeper.

A keeper of memory, celebration, and possibility.

Like the Library!

Happy Birthday, SMPL!

That Ribbon of…3

That Ribbon of…3

It is fascinating to explore ways of integrating ribbon and tying mechanisms into book structures. An integrated tie mechanism encourages the user to engage with the object…opening and closing, tying and untying.

In an ongoing process of attempting to meld bookmaking, decorative painting, conceptual, and “fine” art into the mysterious form of the “artist’s book“, I am exploring the use of tissue paper and the like combined with adhesives to create a textured, tactile surface, and incorporating the ribbon or tie as an integral part of the piece.

Simple cardboard is covered with crinkled tissue once used to separate sheets of metallic leaf. This tissue, for lack of a better term, is thin, fine, ultra flexible, crushable, porous, adherable and absorbent. Perfect for texturing, and when combined with adhesive, becomes almost like a glue itself. The textured surface can create a compelling, intriguing, and in some instances, incredibly satisfying object to gaze upon, to touch, to hold, and to use.

Here the actual packing of the metallic leaf become folded book pages, each one unfolded, then refolded into a signature, (technically a “section”).  These signatures are then sewn together with hemp cord using  the pamphlet stitch  to create a “multi-signature” binding.  Half of the first and last pages are then glued to the inside of the front and back covers so that the pages unfold.

Thus each folded page opens up into four two-sided sections. many possibilities here…both for developing the book by adding content to the pages, and for user engagement with the pages…unfolding and folding them.

The pages can become sculptural and create different shapes. One of the magical things about the form of “the book”, is that it can be nearly flat or two-dimensional, or three-dimensional. Books are transformational…in many ways.

The exposed points of contact where the signatures are sewn together become the spine of the book.

Eventually, I integrated this brilliant orange ribbon into the design of the book. it adds a bit of shimmer, dimension, and contrasting texture, and a tone-on-tone quality that I find irresistible.

I will have to get some images of the finished piece. It is fun to play with, opening and closing the book,  folding and unfolding the pages, seeing how many shapes can be created. The user has to engage with this book, if they don’t want to miss out!

 

 

 

 

That Ribbon of…2

That Ribbon of…2It is fascinating to explore ways of integrating ribbon and tying mechanisms into book structures. An integrated tie mechanism encourages the user to engage with the object…opening and closing, tying and untying.

In an ongoing process of attempting to meld bookmaking, decorative painting, conceptual, and “fine” art into the mysterious form of the “artist’s book“, I am exploring the use of tissue paper and the like combined with adhesives to create a textured, tactile surface, and incorporating the ribbon or tie as an integral part of the piece. Simple cardboard is covered with crinkled tissue once used to separate sheets of metallic leaf.

This tissue, for lack of a better term, is thin, fine, ultra flexible, crushable, porous, adherable and absorbent. Perfect for texturing, and when combined with adhesive, becomes almost like a glue itself.

The textured surface combined with the ribbon or tie, can create a compelling, intriguing, and in some instances, incredibly satisfying object to gaze upon, to touch, to hold, and to use. Here the brown gauze ribbon and found object sewn to the front cover complete the piece.

The ribbon is slipped under the signature stitches, and one of a line of stitches keeping the strip of cloth (in this case brown felt) to which the signatures are sewn, in place.

The polka-dotted ribbon adds an element of pattern and lightness and creates a striped effect when laid down next to the brown felt.

Oranges and browns are set off by the brilliant, saturated colors of the pages.

  The ribbon add sensuality and languidness, and has a life of its own. Depending on how it lays, the completed book can look demure, like an attentive, obedient student,

  or, even like a Buddha.

 We have to turn each page…in turn…if we don’t want to miss the in-between. Which might be the most interesting part of the story…

T.B.C.

That Ribbon of…1

That Ribbon of…1

It is fascinating to explore ways of integrating ribbon and tying mechanisms into book structures. An integrated tie mechanism encourages the user to engage with the object…opening and closing, tying and untying.

In an ongoing process of attempting to meld bookmaking, decorative painting, conceptual, and “fine” art into the mysterious form known as the “artist’s book“, I am exploring the use of tissue paper and the like combined with adhesives to create a tactile, textured surface, and incorporating the ribbon or tie as an integral part of the piece.

The textured surface combined with the ribbon or tie, can create a compelling, intriguing, and , incredibly satisfying object to gaze upon, to touch, to hold, and to use.

Here simple cardboard is covered with crinkled tissue once used to separate sheets of metallic leaf.

This tissue, for lack of a better term, is thin, fine, ultra flexible, crushable, porous, adherable and absorbent. Perfect for texturing, which, when combined with adhesive, becomes almost like a glue itself.

Here, one ribbon defines the spine of the structure, while another is embedded between layers of tissue and glue, with tieable ends emerging.

Here gold cord is sandwiched between layers of adhesive-saturated tissue, connecting the two covers and creating a built-in tying mechanism.

The thin tissue takes on the shape of the cord underneath it, creating a sculptural relief  or raised effect.

A similar technique was used for this piece, with the ribbon is adhered to the surface, creating a strong graphic element.

Ends are left loose to tie the book closed.

What will go inside?

One step at a time.  We have to turn each page…in turn…if we don’t want to miss the in-between.

Which might be the most interesting part of the story…

T.B.C.

 

 

 

 

Gehry Unfurled: A Picture Poem

Gehry Unfurled: A Picture Poem

Frank O. Gehry is one of our most famous living architects.  NOT to be confused with another famous  Frank of architecture, Frank Lloyd Wright.

Frank Gehry, and his Los Angeles-based firm Gehry Partners, LLP, designed LA’s Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Disney Concert Hall unfurls across a downtown LA block like a giant sculpture.

It is artfully situated down the street from MOCA, The Museum of Contemporary Art of Los Angeles.

Moving around and through it’s voluptuous, curved exterior yields treasures.

The speckled stone of the lotus-like  sculpture is in stark contrast to the industrial sheen of the building’s stainless steel surfacing.

Incredible to look at, the surface created some issues with reflection, heat and glare, which were resolved, in essence, with a light sand.

This magical magnificence is here to experience and enjoy, by All.

Merci a Monsieur Gehry…making of LA, an astonishing play ground.