Artist
I have been honored to serve as Artist in Residence at the Granada Hills Branch Library, supported by the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
In concert with the Library Staff I created several online bookmaking workshop presentations, including, below:
How to Make a Poetry Flag Book
In Honor of NATIONAL POETRY MONTH – The Month of April!
Explore, learn, play, enjoy!
How to create the Flag Book Step by Step:
Special thanks to the incomparable Andres Payan, for his support of the older adults makers program and facilitation of our ZOOM gatherings, as well as his devotion to the community in his role of Curator of Public Engagement at Craft Contemporary. Thank you for this opportunity!
Two books made by Sandra this week!
Sandra shared again during our ZOOM gathering about using THE ART OF THE FOLD book
by Hedi Kyle and her daughter Ulla Warchol!
Sandra says: “First one is a blizzard book (for business cards).”
She adds, “Second one is a panorama book.”
Here are Vicki’s new books, gorgeous!
And, Vicki is on INSTAGRAM, sharing her collage works: check it out,and consider starting an Instagram account of your own, as Sandra is!
Here is a book by Vicki for her granddaughter, sharing about vocabulary describing groups of different birds!
The next has pockets for treasures! Business cards?
Finally, these little gems:
For all those who are photographing their works, I want to suggest that you use a more neutral background, in contrast to the colors in your work.
You can see above, it is harder to see the red books against a red background.
Try using white, or even gray. Possibly black if you have a lot of color in a work, and not a lot of black.
Try using just one color for the background.
Dear Bookmakers, Makers, Readers, All,If you are able, and so inclined, use the comments section to share something book-related, or anything of interest you wish. Check out all the other “Friday Bookmakers Inspiration! We Stand (Sit?!) Together, Making Books!” blog posts, right here.
Stay Safe, Stay Strong, Stay Well, Stay Sane,
STAY CREATIVE!
And as Sandra says,
“Craft on!”In hope and gratitude,
debra
“FORMATION”: The Guild of Book Workers 2018-2019 Traveling Juried Exhibition is currently showing at UCLA!
“Simply defined by Merriam Webster as “an act of giving form or shape to something,” ‘formation‘ can insinuate process, history, creation, change, beginnings, an arrangement, botany and landscape, personal narratives and impersonal storytelling. As artists, designers and craftspeople with our own histories that form us, we also play a vital role in the formation of objects and experiences; pulp molded into paper, paper folded into books, books shelved into a library.
What is the final product, if not for the methods used to create it? What makes us into the artists we are? What pushes us to continue to create?” –FORMATION
I am extremely honored to have two pieces in FORMATION, The Guild of Book Workers 2018-2019 traveling juried exhibition, with a theme evoking a wide array of interpretations.
In this post, I share my contribution, “Hang Out”, and “Black Hang Out” to the show.
I leave it to you to interpret the titles. One knowledgable artist upon seeing my work asked if it was “Hedi Kyle meets Eva Hesse?” She may be right. Hedi and Eva, born 1937 and 1936 respectively, in Germany, with vastly different life trajectories., both unforgettable and profoundly impactful during their time, and for future generations. It is a fascinating supposition, and bravo, Karen Schiff for the insight and intuition.
Thank you for taking a look, and please check back soon as I share the work of many other talented artists who grace this Show!
We started off our Family Bookmaking Workshop series at The Los Angeles County Museum of Art with the Accordion Fold Book, then moved onto “The Folded Fan” book (my own nomenclature) which also employed the accordion/concertina fold to great effect.
We completed our series with The Flag Book, a fun, versatile and quite kinetic structure “invented” by German-born and noted book artist Hedi Kyle.
We visited the Broad Contemporary Art Museum (“BCAM“), and looked at artist Barbara Kruger‘s monumental elevator piece, “Shafted“.
Students chose what view they wished to draw (or, sketch). then returned to the Park View Studio to look at our drawings, learn the Flag Book structure, create our books, then develop and embellish them! (This last the reward, some might say, of the effort that went before).
Participants were encouraged to use text to develop their books, and see how this “found writing” technique could be read in different ways up and down and across their books. They had been able to observe the power of graphical text first hand viewing the Kruger piece.
Mother and daughter working together.
She came to our workshop with her grandmother…not pictured!
Summer teacher (all the way from Chicago!) and student, taking advantage of LACMA‘s educational offerings!
This wonderful duo attended all three workshops!
The grown-ups need an art-making break too!
Such a lovely group to work with.
We love you, LACMA!
In Resonant Residence (14)
I formally began Studio Residency at the Camera Obscura Art Lab
in Santa Monica Wednesday January 10th, and completed it Saturday, April 21, 2018. I shared the sunlit space, located within a beautiful Mid-century building overlooking Palisades Park, Santa Monica Beach and the blue Pacific with textile artist and fellow Studio Artist-in-Residence Huong Nguyen.
“About the Art Lab and Camera Obscura
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The huge studio windows look out on palms, walkways and a huge assortment of passers by, strollers, park wanderers and beach combers. The Studio is a magical place to work.
My thirteenth workshop, April 7, 2018, Creating Sculptural Books offered participants an opportunity to walk a bit on the wilder side, and create something new while learning some skills in the process.
We began by constructing what I call the “fan book” structure…an accordion folded spine, with front and back covers, and pages added to the same side of each fold.
It is a version of the flag book, invented by renowned book artist Hedi Kyle, but employs full-sized pages that fan out from the spine in the same direction, rather then the zig zig alternating pattern of the endlessly inventive flag book.
Then folks added to that structure, used it as a jumping off point if you will.
Others focused more specifically on embellishment…this was the way “in” for them.
Book artist Rachel Curry made a big “traditional” flag book, and adorned it with patterns using paint pens.
Step-by-step into new territory, in a safe space.
Ingredients for discovery.
Library Love II
Leading a “folded fan” bookmaking program at the Granada Hills Library, one of the Branches of the Los Angeles City Library System was pure joy
The Flag Book was invented by noted book artist Hedi Kyle, and is a great deal of fun to make, develop and embellish!
Covers and flag pages are added to an accordion spine to create a kinetic book,
and the fun ensues!
Our theme, established by Children’s Librarian Alice,
was Women’s History month….the focus, Women Artists.
Pure Joy….
