Handmade Books

This little book measures 5"h x 4" wide, and the cover is made from mango leaf paper with painted accents. It is stitched with a coptic binding, and the signatures are made from gorgeous bronze colored pages. This little journal is my latest travel companion.

This book measures 6.5"h x 5"w, and the cover is made from unryu paper along with painted accents. It is stitched with a coptic binding, and the pages are an array of banana, mango, unryu, and other fabulous papers (shown below).

I love making the pages and covers for these books, and I really love binding it all together. I think I am going to sell some of them, as I am definitely making too many for any one person to use. So far the coptic binding is my favorite, mostly because it allows the book to lay flat while you write on the pages and because the signatures of exotic papers show along the spine. What a fun way to spend my week!

Where does the time go?

7/29/09

Above is yesterday's daily collage. I like the combination of the black & white mixed with shades of blue.

These days most of my studio time is focused on hand making little books --- with gorgeous papers and covers. Today I hope to start stitching some of them together. Maybe I will have a photo or two tomorrow.

Two New Series on my Website!

Vestiges #8

Summer Heat #9

I have updated my website with two new mixed media collage series --- Vestiges and Summer Heat.

Vestiges is created mainly from my own photographs, taken in the Old Market district in Omaha, the Plaza district in Kansas City, and the coastline in Monterey. Summer Heat started with a base layer of sewing patterns and newspaper, then exploded with color from there. Feel free to email me with any questions about these series or if you would like to purchase one.

Coastal: Cape Henlopen

I have been stitching away on the second piece in my Coastal series for an August 1st deadline. Above is a detail shot of the sand dune fence that runs through each piece, as well as some of the lettering that tells the story of the pieces. The third piece is also started, but for now, my energy is focused on finishing this one.

New Collages

5.5"h x 3.5"w
found papers, acrylic paint, enamel paint, ink

I have been working on a new series of collages --- obviously influenced by the summer heat. It is hard to show all of the various layers in a photo this small, but I have added layers to these collages every day for a week. I plan to try something similar in a different color palette next, with a more organic feel to them.

Garden Bounty

This morning, in about an hour's time (in rain), we picked 6 dozen ears of sweet corn, 3 dozen cucumbers, a few green peppers, and a basket of tomatoes. And we still have 3 rows of leaf lettuce to harvest yet this evening. Needless to say, dinner tonight was corn on the cob and salad!

Foto-Fiber-Fabulous Exhibition

I received an email from the curators of the Foto-Fiber-Fabulous exhibition, and all 3 of the pieces that I submitted were accepted for the show! So, if you are in the San Antonio area in September, please stop in and check it out. I will have Rural Remnants #2, Rural Remnants #3, and Peach Street on display. The information is below:

Foto-Fiber-Fabulous
September 3-26, 2009
Fiber Artspace
Blue Star Arts Complex
1414 S. Alamo #103
San Antonio, TX

Board Books as Collage Books

A couple of days ago I read about a perfect project for me to try out. Ellen Lindner posted on her blog about buying a children's board book and coating it with gesso to turn it into a collage book. Her blog includes a photo of her gesso'd book. So off I went to a church rummage sale, where I bought the three board books pictured above. Next step --- cover the pages with gesso in preparation for creating collages on them.

New Collage

7.5"h x 5"w
paper, cloth, acrylic paint

I am enamored with collages in black & white with just a touch of color. Here is the first one, and it is exactly the effect that I was envisioning.

P.S. I also discovered that hole punches make the best little paper dots for collage work!

Birthday Boy!

Yesterday Zeke turned 2 years old, so we had to celebrate with a special puppy treat. We have a local dog bakery, and last year we got him a puppy cupcake from there for his first birthday. Yesterday we got this puppy bone, and they personalized it with his name. Zeke loved it!

It sure doesn't seem like we have had him almost 2 years. He brings so much love and laughter to all of our lives. He is a real sweetheart!

Last of the Monterey Watercolors

Monterey #5
6" x 6"
SOLD

Monterey #6
6" x 6"
SOLD

These are the last two of the watercolors inspired by my photographs of the Asilomar/Monterey coastline. I am pleased with my results, and I learned quite a bit about how to use the white of paper and the lighter hues to mirror the waves. Now it is back to collage making for a while.

More Monterey Watercolors

Monterey #3
6" x 6"
SOLD

Monterey #4
6" x 6"
SOLD

Two more watercolor studies, painting the waves at Asilomar/Monterey, California. I am getting better at working with the white space to capture the crests of the waves and the foam.

Monterey Watercolor #1

6" x 6"
SOLD

This is the first of a series of studies that I am working on, trying to learn how to paint water effectively. Initially I thought the waves would be easier to paint than still water. Now I'm not so sure. The brown areas are rock outcroppings in the water. This watercolor was inspired by my photos of the coastline in Monterey, California.

Garden Bounty

I don't know where all the hours in the day go during the summer! By the time I am done watering, weeding, and picking in the gardens, it is noon. This afternoon I ground up vegetables for zucchini relish, and now they are soaking until tomorrow. Then I will need to cook and can the relish. This relish is so delicious that I can't imagine eating a burger without it!

Zucchini Relish:
2-3 medium zucchini
4 medium onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
4 carrots
3 TB pickling salt (non-iodized)
Grind up and mix and let stand overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, drain well, add to syrup & cook 35 minutes. Then put in jars and seal.
Syrup:
2 cups cider vinegar
4 cups sugar (I usually cut back on this)
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp celery seed
1 rounded TB cornstarch

A New Book Artist is Born

Yesterday I showed my mom how to make book covers and signatures, then bind it all together with coptic binding. Below are photos of her first book. I think it is fabulous!

the front cover

side view of the coptic binding

detail of the binding and signatures

Shadow Play

This photo was taken in our rock garden, and I love the sharp shadows of the grasses on the rocks!