Debra Disman

Artist

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Teaching Artist

The Art of The Book: Ages 11-14

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It was a rich and fascinating experience to work with 11-14 year olds in creating books this summer…in our class, “The Art of the Book“.

I had the opportunity to work with students every day for an hour, for 5 weeks straight, and it was joy!


Our 14 year old maker…loves PINK!


Flag book extraordinaire!


Pink accents painted on illustrations taken from book being altered.


Beautiful marbling work done on watercolor paper cover of this 11 year old maker’s side-bound book.

This same 11 year old (going into 6th grade) is an amazing painter, self-taught to some extent.


She spontaneously decided she would create this astounding painting on her multi-colored accordion fold book with terrific results.
Students created their own “book cloths” through painting with acrylic on canvas, and using it as a binding for their single signature books, done with real book board.

To teach this class was a real treat. I will be perusing these images, and pondering over what the students created for a long time to come…

Gratitudes!

Making Books, Making Community at the Brentwood Art Center!

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Teaching community workshop in June on Flag Books and Found Text at the Brentwood Art Center was pure joy!


“Fun with Flag (pages)” was had by all.


Adults and children alike created marvelous flag book creations and had a blast in the process!


Participants learned to fold an accordion spine, add covers, and attach the flag pages on alternating sides of the spine to create a pattern that changed as the book was opened.


After the flag book was “built” (books and buildings have a lot in common…but that is a subject for another post…)


the real (well, that depends on your definition) fun began…filling, embellishing and developing the book!


Participants used images and text from magazines,


expressing their interests, thoughts, and ideas…


choosing what they wanted to express


with the materials at hand.


Some chose to draw by hand.


Some laid forth their content using repeated elements, like a graphic designer.


Others asked questions.


And some put it all together thematically.

All in all, a most remarkable experience.
Bravo!

 

Marbling Unfurled: Making Marbled Scrolls at the Granada Hills Library

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It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of my Artist Residency there:  “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, I led a workshop for all on how to marble paper, create scrolls and put these two forms together into one of the oldest book structures extant.


Scrollwork made by an adult artist at a UCLA-Fowler Museum program and generously gifted to me, and which I often use as a sample/model to inspire students.


We begin by floating specially formulated inks on the surface of a tub of water. The ink colors can be gently moved around to create designs. Papers are then carefully lowered onto the surface of the “inked” water, and pick up the designs, like a monoprint!


The marbled papers are lifted out of the tub, placed on and under and blotted with paper towels, which absorb excess water and help with the drying process.


The results can be delicate pastel,


or stronger colors and patterns, depending on the colors and handling of the inks.


While their marbled papers were drying, participants chose bright tagboard papers for their scrolls and added wooden dowels at the vertical top and bottom of the pieces. They then added their marbled papers and a myriad of other materials!


We used both glue sticks and tacky glue, depending on the weight of the materials added.


The results were resplendent, with the softer strength marbled papers contrasting with gold ribbon and more.


Intergenerational attendance enriched the experience, as participants of all ages engaged their creativity and learned new skills in the process.


Whole families joined us, even with very young attendees! Hopefully, these young parents of two got a break.


Attendees young and old loved adding two and three-dimensional stickers,


washi tape, ribbon and string,


putting them all together in imaginative and innovative ways to create singular scrollworks.


This says it all. The Library belongs to Everyone!

Tunnel Vision

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It was fantastic to teach a workshop on Tunnel Books for families, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

The Tunnel Book is comprised of two accordion spines, or “sides”, connected by a “backdrop” and “cross pieces” or frames attached to the accordion folds working from the back fold and moving forward in space.
The mise-en-scène is then created through the addition of images/shapes/materials attached to the crosspieces and creating actual depth of space between them.

Students of all ages employed tremendous imagination and creativity as they “tunneled through” the process of making, adding pop-ups, folds, “doors” and even a “floor” to their works.


The work of our hands…


Tunnel Book “doors” employ illusionistic effects as the image transforms when they are opened.


Heart “balloons” floating up into the “sky”…


A work depicting the perfect day…with drawings of the Calder works in the Directors Roundtable Garden in front…


The artist wants the viewer to finish the sentence!


Happiness, happiness…


One really feels like one is entering a theatrical space here…


This young maker worked very hard to design this piece so that the images moving back in space made sense on all fronts…BRAVO!


And what is inside this book? The structure in front of it is a home for the five-year-old maker’s new pet ladybug!


ROAR!

Art, Theatre, Life and Literature… come together, at our beloved LACMA!

Felt, Fabric, Feathers, FUN: Celebrating Women Artists at the Will and Ariel Durant Branch Library

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I was thrilled to lead an artmaking program at the Will and Ariel Durant Branch Library of the Los Angeles Public Library System to celebrate Women’s History Month, specifically Women Artists!

Inspired by the artist Faith Ringgold’s “Story Quilts”, participants including children, adults and families, used a glorious melange of soft materials (well, there were some buttons…) to create their own textile hangings, tapestries of sorts, learning about five very special women artists in the process.

Faith Ringgold of New York City,  Yayoi Kusama of Japan,  Liza Lou of Los Angeles,  Frida Kahlo of Mexico, and  Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were presented and discussed, and participants incorporated images of the artists and their work into their projects. The creative juxtaposition of materials and images was thrilling…and inspiring.


Children’s Librarian Aida got into the act with Georgia O’Keeffe, one of her favorite artists.


Feathers are fun!


This maker ensconced herself at one end of the room and focussed intensively on the materials.


Devotion to detail…

  
A glorious melange of felt, feathers, canvas and cloth…


Adding buttons.


Laying out the components in an orderly fashion…


Creating borders framing the work.


This Mom brings her two daughters to the program every week and enjoys creating with them. Talented…


She created a butterfly!


He created the five elements!


Serious little makers having fun. Did this little princess create her castle in her piece?


Wearable art!


Joy.

Getting Lit: Making Matchbox Books at the Granada Hills Public Library

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It has been exciting to lead programs at the Granada Hills Branch Library of the LAPL, as part of  my Artist Residency there:  “We Write the Book“, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

In honor of Women’s History Month, I led a workshop on how to create mini “matchbox books”.  Open to the whole community, participants included families, seniors, children, adults and youth.  Participants used actual matchboxes as the container or “cover of their books, and folded accordion pages to place inside them. I had appropriately-sized images of the work of five amazing women artists, who the makers learned about, and used in and on their pieces.

Faith Ringgold of New York City,  Yayoi Kusama of Japan,  Liza Lou    of Los Angeles,  Frida Kahlo   of Mexico, and  Georgia O’Keeffe of New Mexico were featured, nd participants incorporated images of their work and the artists themselves into their projects, hopefully learning about them and being inspired in the process


Families work together.


Honored members of the Friends of the Library joined us.


Mother and daughter work side by side.


I couldn’t agree more!


Purple and pink…perennial favorites.

 
Kusama’s polka dots rule….


Kahlo graces the cover…


Our fearless, peerless teen librarian, Kristin Peers, joins the fun!

It is such an honor to serve this community as Artist in Residence, and get to know the families and individuals who frequent the Branch, as well as its awesome Staff.

Gratitudes!