Debra Disman

Artist

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ARTISTS

Exhibitionista: “HeART of the Book”

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I have been honored to participate in The HeART of the Book, A national  book arts show presented by the Loveland Artists Collective, which crossed paths with the Covid 19 Pandemic, and was held in South Gallery at Artworks in downtown Loveland, CO, from February 14th – March 28th, 2020.

“The book has long been treasured as a literary work of art, but it is often forgotten in the realm of visual art.   Book arts have been around as long as humanity has been writing and reading, but within the last couple of decades, the book arts have become increasingly diverse and innovative.     The Loveland Artists Collective has been invited to show this group exhibition at Artworks, which is the largest Studio Artist Community in Northern Colorado dedicated to advancing the contemporary arts and visual artists.

The exhibited works spanned a wide range of forms, structures and materials.


My work, “Burning Bush” is in the photo above on pedestal, and  below:

A show to remember.

Wish I could have seen it, but we can, here.

Gratitudes!

“Crafting Our Stories By Hand”

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I have been honored to work with a wonderful group of “older adults” at the Craft Contemporary Museum in Los Angeles, offering a series of workshops teaching bookmaking techniques, and providing a forum for creativity, imagination, sharing and story.

Here is a treasure trove of moments from our workshops….

 

It has truly been an honor.
Thank you for the incredible artistry, work created, sharing, fun, histories and her-stories, and support of each other.

Looking forward to the next!

Friday Bookmakers Inspiration! We Stand (Sit?!) Together, Making Books! (1)

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I have been honored to work with a wonderful group of “older adults” at the Craft Contemporary Museum in Los Angeles, offering a series of workshops teaching bookmaking techniques, and providing a forum for creativity, imagination, sharing and story.

The series, “Crafting Our Stories By Hand” has had to be postponed due covid19.

Therefore, I have started an email newsletter to keep our community going, offering tips, images and sharing the work these makers are doing at home while “sheltering in place”.

Sharing these newsletters as a blog post makes their contents available for any and all. It inspiring to see what these makers have done and are doing during these crazy times.

Enjoy!

Dear Bookmakers,

I am happy to bring you images, tips, inspiration and learning for your bookmaking journey.

I hope you are all well, staying safe, and creating!

Today I will share with you:

  • A simple “pocketed” accordion book structure, into which you can keep recipes, poems, notes to yourself, keepsakes, photos,
  • Inspiration for creating “altered books”, for yourself or fun with the whole family, 
  • Images shared by some of our students of amazing books they have created at home!

Joan also sent some beautiful images of exquisite books she has completed at home, and I hope she gives me permission to share them!

To create a simple accordion fold book with pockets, simply add another fold!


Fold the accordion as you did in class in creating your accordion fold books, then unfold, and fold the pocket up from the bottom.

You will have to really sharpen those folds to make the accordion open and close easily. Then just add your covers, and you are ready to fill your pockets!

Take a look at these “altered books” I photographed while visiting the Long Beach Museum of Art!

 

School children added paint, drawing, writing and collage to existing books, to create their own stories! Great project to do on your own, or suggest to the families and children in your lives! Use an old, discarded or out of date textbook, or replaceable paperback you have already read. Fun!

Finally, please enjoy these wonderful books created by three of our illustrious bookmakers:

Well that is it for this week dear Craft Contemporary Bookmakers!

If you are able, and so inclined, email us all back and share something book-related, or plaything you wish, of interest,

Stay safe, stay strong, stay well

STAY CREATIVE!

In peace and hope and truth and beauty,
debra

Making Journals at the Granada Hills Branch Library

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It was a pleasure to lead a “journal-making” workshop/program at the Granada Hills Branch Library as part of my Artist Residency there, supported by the wonderful Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

Who knew creating a journal, traditionally a place to record daily thoughts, ideas, activities, fears, concerns, dreams and wishes would be so salient?


Families joined together to learn how to fold a “signature” (gathering of folded pages),


glue cover and spine boards to white-prepped canvas to create the book structure and “house” the pages,


then sew the signature  into the book through the spine using durable, earthy  hemp cord.


Having exerted this labor to create their book structure,  participants had the glorious pleasure of developing and embellishing their journals with decorative papers, washi tape, markers, beads, and other collage materials. The canvas book covering, functioning as a book cloth is a wonderful surface for painting, stamping, printmaking, stenciling and any other wet or dry media.

May journaling help all and any through this very difficult time we are in.
Journal on!

Making Books Together at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art!

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Join us and learn to make a “folded fan” book at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art,
inspired by the amazing work and colorful and evocative sketchbooks of artist Betye Saar, in her exhibition

 Betye Saar: Call and Response currently on display at the Museum.

For the Whole Family!

Details:
One Day Workshop: BOOKMAKING

Inspired by the Sketchbooks of Betye Saar!
Family Class: Ages 8+ | Saturday, February 1, 2020 | 9 am–12 pm
Family members create side-by-side or collaborate together in this inter-generational class

With teaching artist Debra Disman

Exhibitionista: The Artful Book…revisited

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 The Artful Book show at the Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA just closed.

What a great experience to be part of it.

Tour the exhibition!

It happened October 4, 2019 – January 5, 2020

I was honored to show three pieces, and be in the company of stellar book artists.

“Today, artists who work in the Book Arts create fine and design bindings, fine press and letterpress editions, calligraphy, broadsides, handmade paper, and artist books. Visitors to The Artful Book will see outstanding contemporary examples of the Book Arts created by members of the California Chapter of the Guild of Book Workers. From finely crafted and superbly designed limited edition books to one-of-a-kind sculptural art objects, these artists let their imaginations soar and put their skills in the service of one of man’s best creations, the book….” —The Artful Book

The Artful Book will be remembered.