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Friday, April 26, 2024

Exquisite Corpse 2024

 


I was invited to put together a group of local artists to create an Exquisite Corpse for a show at the Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon for World Collage Day 2024.  Craig van der Bosch, Elsa, Bouman, Robert Stockton, and I created the piece that you see below (lower leg to feet).  Click on the image to enlarge it.


A Most Exciting No Glue Book Structure

 


Terry Garrett, my friend and artist, who lives in New Mexico introduced me to a no glue book structure that is really exciting. Over the past few years I have been involved in creating art that fits into this book structure with many artist friends.  The Creative Gents have done several book collaborations and my friend Irene has participated in one of our projects.  Above left is one that Irene did.  Above right is one that I did. Thank you Terry, Brian, Thomas, and Irene for your contributions to these books.  Thanks Terry for introducing us to the structure.  I think Terry may have an Instagram video on the structure construction.  Not sure though.

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

How to Make a Postcard Holder

 I was asked by someone who visits this blog how to make the postcard holder that I shared weeks ago.  So here goes…..






You will need a heavy stock paper for the construction of the postcard holder.  I used cereal box cardboard for mine. 


Cut the cardboard to 11 inches by 6 inches.


Score the cardboard at 2.5 inches; 3.25 inches; 8.25 inches; and at 9 inches.  Fold on all your score lines.


You can cover with decorative papers first and then score….either way works.  Let dry well or the papers might tear if they are still wet when attaching to the cardboard…..experience is speaking here.


Make your closure out of cardboard and attach to the center of the top and bottom sections. You can use brads and bookbinding thread to keep the holder closed.  It should hold a dozen or so postcards. See photos above.  Have fun!






Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A Shrine of Little Boxes of Books….


 

I actually am not sure if I have shared this image of all my little boxes of mini-books.  It is kind of like a shrine of little books.  Some are full and some are empty.  This “shrine” sits on top of a black piece of furniture housing magazines.  

Monday, April 22, 2024

What’s Going On?


 Prior to my knee replacement surgery I organized about 90 blog entries so that I would not fall behind during recovery.  As I mentioned the other day I am caught up.  So it is kind of day to day what I post right now.  Today I was working in three new mini-journals.  None of them are finished but I am plowing away at them.  Mostly today I worked in the black and white one.

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Shetland Books - 02

 


These are the last four of the eight journals.  One has maps and another has what I call map lace.  The third are abstraction I found and the fourth book has stamps and parts of vintage envelopes.

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Shetland Books - 01




 Our task was to fill each of the books somehow.  We could add anything we liked.  I chose to add parts of phrases from some vintage letters I found for one of the tiny books.  In another I used parts of black and white photo that were historic to the Shetland Islands.  In the third journal I added tourist sites from around the Shetlands.  The fourth was never completed.

Friday, April 19, 2024

Eight Tiny Books in a Paper Box




In 2018 on a journey to the Shetland Islands I attended a book making workshop with two friends.  Rachel, The Travelling Bookbinder, taught us many different stitching techniques for binding books.  Rachel teaches classes throughout the UK and many European cities.  Oh, and yes, she does spell Travelling with two Ls….British English.   https://www.thetravellingbookbinder.com/

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 12

 


By the time this spread is published I might have added something more to it.  We shall see.  Tomorrow is the video.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 11


 Nearing the end of the journal.  There is one more secret spread.  You will see how it works in the video tomorrow.

Monday, April 15, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 10

 

It is fun to have a bit of random fabric stitched to a spread.  Goes well with the poncho on the cowboy.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 9

 


The fabric on the right looks so much better when it is ruffled up a bit.  Hard to scan it that way though.  I guess I should have photographed it instead.

Saturday, April 13, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 8

 


The cowboy figure on the right is a neon sign.  I just had to add it to a spread.

Thursday, April 11, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 6


 Maybe just maybe we can use the term cowboy very loosely.  Or maybe the guys on the left have a secret desire to be cowboys for Halloween or Carnivale.  

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 4

 


Now you have the answer to the question of how the woman fits in this journal.  She loves cowboys. :-)

Monday, April 8, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 3


 Something about journals.  One might not be finished.  One might come back later on and add to the journal.  Something might catch one’s eye and you think it has to go in such and such journal.  That works.

Sunday, April 7, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 2

 


One might wonder how JFK would fit into a cowboy themed journal.  Well, he might not have been a cowboy but he was a pioneer.  He signed off on man landing on the moon.  So now you might wonder about the woman and how she fits?  Stay tuned.

Saturday, April 6, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Spread 1

 


You will notice that the first few pages in this journal will include the woman’s face.  Let’s see how it all comes together

Friday, April 5, 2024

New Tiny Journal - Cover


 I started this journal months ago.  One might call it a shabby-chic or junk journal.  I kind of started a cowboy theme but it also evolved into more than that.  It is what it is.  Over the next many days it will evolve.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Crow’s Companion II






 
I have shared this box of mini-journals previously but I added a tenth journal to complete the box and I added a crow to the top of the box as well.  This is my submission to the summer show at the University of Puget Sound.  The show is sponsor by the Puget Sound Book Arts Guild.  The show opens in June and runs to mid July I believe.  It then travels to Evergreen College in Olympia until mid December.





 

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

No Glue Collage - 03

 






I used the staple-less stapler for the “glue” on this one.  I like three element collages.  I guess you could say it is four elements because of the slide frame.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

No Glue Collage - 02

 






Sorry about the darkness of the photo of this collage.  I should redo it.  The “glue” for this one is a staple-less stapler.  The stapler crimps the paper.  Again the collage is held in the slide cover with sticky putty. 

Monday, April 1, 2024

No Glue Collage - 01

 



For the winter quarter activity for the NW Collage Society I suggested to members that they might wish to create collages using no wet glue.  I called this activity No Glue Collage.  The collages could be created anyway the member wanted.  It was totally amazing what techniques were used.  In the future I might make a list of different techniques that were sent to me and I can share them on this blog.

I wanted to do something totally different and because I like working tiny I decided to create collage that would fit in a slide frame.  The “glue” that holds this collage together is one staple.  To keep the slide frame together I used that sticky putty substance.

This project was a hoot to do.  This one has both realistic and abstract qualities.