Uptown Art Stroll

Saturday, November 7th 10AM to 5PM

Sunday, November 8th 1PM to 5PM

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Uptown Art Stroll is a free two day art stroll through three charming San Antonio communities visiting some of San Antonio's most exciting artists. This is a great opportunity to:

Visit quaint, historic neighborhoods in San Antonio
Support local artists in your community
Speak directly with the artists

Look for unique gifts for the holidays

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You will find me, along with other members of the San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG), at 5331 Howard Street. A map of all the locations is available online at southofbasse.com. Larry West will be doing Hot Glass Demonstrations in his mobile blowing unit. This is a great chance to watch an artisan craft hand blown glass.
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Wings

No bird soars to high,

if he soars with his own wings

-William Blake
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4x6" Linoleum Block Print

I have played a bit recently with some very simple linoleum block prints, like the one above and the chair posted on September 9th. As with any new interest, I looked to a book for a little guidance. Simple Printmaking by Gwen Diehn provided a good high level introduction to making relief prints.

Why Bookbinding?

Why bookbinding on a glass blog? This is a question you might be asking. It is certainly one I asked myself before I began learning this skill and as I began posting about it. It boils down to this; I believe it is important to expose yourself to new skills and techniques. Doing so has so many benefits.
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Exercise Your Mind

Challenging and stretching one’s abilities keeps your mind nimble. Learning new skills, specific those accompanied by a new physical or social activity are commonly recommended to deter dementia. If we simply continue to do what we have always done, we use only the same neural pathways we have already developed. It would be like doing the exact same workout every time you go to the gym. Shake it up every now and then and workout a different area of your mind.

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New Ideas

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A fresh perspective can generate new ideas. While working on my first book, in the summer of 2008, I learned about and used the formal canon. This principle uses lines drawn to divide the page indicating where text and design should be located, based on the principles from the golden mean. After preparing 128 pages this way, I became enamored not just with the technique but the lines and intersection of points it created as a design in itself. This showed up very quickly in fused glass pieces like the one auctioned on behalf of SaySi, last February.
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Above Left: The formal cannon lines on a blank page
Below Left: Page from the my first book, completed in 2008
Below Right: First of several glass pieces from this inspiration

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The Importance of Planning

More and more I am assured of the importance of thinking through work in advance and documenting the entire process in a complete and holistic way, not just the material and firing schedule. For me, these books beginning to serve this purpose. Using the book to tell the story of a body of work from conception to completion, helps me to both plan and document a particular series. The book I created in 2008 was used as a gathering place, for thoughts on water, for a work in glass I am still slowly (very slowly) working on. In May, I made another book, which I am using to gather ideas and document the process for a series I am presently working on but I'll share more on that book/glass series later.
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Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change

Artist have always drawn from the environment both for their resources as well as the inspiration used to create. We take resources like clay, wood, metal, fibers and minerals. We work with the characteristics of these materials attempting in enhance them or sometimes just to stay out of the way of their natural beauty. So often we try to use these materials to capture or communicate something of our landscape. That landscape may be something small like a nearby flower, a texture or color. On a wider scale so many poets, painters and photographers have been inspired by natures vast and grand beauties. It is only appropriate that craftsman and artists take a special interest in the impacts of climate change on the world we draw from.
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Above Left: 6" cast soda lime glass bowl

Above Right: detail of this same bowl

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Although it has been years now since I traveled as far North as when I visited Alaska, I have never forgotten the impact of that land and sea scape. I still try in vain to capture memories from just those couple of days spent in the mist of the ice and water of Glacier Bay. Often I consider what the impacts of climate change are to that and other glacier environments around the world.
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For information on how climate change is impacting Glaciers check out these websites:
Union of Concerned Scientists
The Encyclopedia of Earth
Live Science
Buzzle

-10x10" footed sushi plate made of soda lime glass

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The Language of Book Arts

I recently read, a book checked out from the San Antonio Calligraphy Guild Library, titled A Degree of Mastery written by Annie Tremmell Wilcox. After participating in a few bookbinding workshops, I was open and amazed at the story this book told of a journey through a book arts apprenticeship and a life long pursuit of mastery. As I am just becoming familiar with the tools and techniques, I found it an amazing experience to swim in the language of this skill set. It was like being dropped in the middle of a Latin American country after taking only one semester of Spanish. It all sounds familiar and beautiful but your not really grasping it all. Then before you know it you begin to understand and even contribute to the conversation. This is how I would describe my relationship to this book.

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For anyone who has spent time learning the skills associated with any craft, you will appreciate the homage Annie pays her instructor. Through the course of her story she tells a deeply personal and heartfelt account of her education as a bookbinder and the master who contributed to it.

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To assist me with my new learning, I sought out a simple entry level book on the subject of bookbinding. You know, one with easy to understand language, pretty pictures and vibrant colors. I'll get to the more technical ones later. What I need right now is something to help me understand the lingo, learn the very basic tools and encourage my budding interest, without overwhelming me. I found The Bookbinding Handbook: Simple Techniques and Step-by-Step Projects at my neighborhood mega-bookstore, and it does the job nicely.

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ART281 - Sunday, October 11th

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The San Antonio Glass Art Guild (SAGAG) is sponsoring ART281 an one day venue for artists and art organizations to display, promote and sell their art work directly to the public. The event will take place on the grounds of My Place Bar & Grille on Sunday, October 11, 2009 from 10:00am to 6:00pm. I will be their along with around 40 other artists. More information, including a list of participating artists, is available at http://www.art281.com/. Stop by and enjoy Prime Rib Sunday at My Place Bar & Grille, take a stroll among the artisans to see their work and enjoy the festival atmosphere with dancers and musicians.
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My Place Bar & Grille
29094 US Highway 281 North

Bulverde, Texas 78163-3105

Just 8 miles outside Loop 1604

North on US Highway 281
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The BIG book

I recently completed my third handmade book, under the tutelage of Maggie and Leslie from Book Art Babes. This, a leather book with cords, was differently the most difficult and rewarding of the books I have made thus far. Each time, I become more and more familiar with the tools of the trade, the language (like any specialty they have their own vocabulary) and materials. Although I will spare you the many details. Here is a high level progression of this project, which took the better part of 4 days from start to end.

-The text block was made from individual sheets of 22x30" paper torn down, folded, punched and sewn together. To this codex I added five linen cords and custom headbands at each end.

-After the text block is prepared, the spine of the book is strengthened by applying a series of wheat paste and long fiber papers, including Kozo and Kitikata.

-After significant measuring and remeasuring, Davey Board was cut to the appropriate size, wholes wear drilled for the linen cords and the boards where tentatively placed on the text block. The design for the leather and decorative paper where sketched on the board's surface.
- The leather was cut, prepared and applied to the spine and corners of the book. A heavy weight conservation quality paper was then used to fill the space between the leather before applying the decorative paper. As a final touch a doublure was cut from the leather and applied inside between the cover and text block (very fancy).

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When all was said and done...

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Thank you Maggie and Leslie. You are wonderful educators. I am looking forward to contining my book arts education with you in the winter.

Peace

photo of a brick wall taken in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania July 2009

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As my brother leaves for yet another tour in Iraq, I consider all the of the time, money and many impacts cause by these struggles. Would it not be so much easier if we could all direct this energy, in actions small and large, toward the purpose of peace. It could not possibly be any more difficult to love, respect or at least tolerate, then it is to hate. And if we all were to view the world from this perspective, could we not find resolutions to avoid violence. For if violence is what got us here, it can not possibly be the sole solution. Peace is not just the result. It is the way of life for each of us to embrace daily. Let peace be your inspiration, not just Thursday but everyday.

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Joy

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Joy...
It comes from within

and gives voice to our actions.
It should be shared

and in doing will multiply.

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12x12" sandblasted and kinformed float glass-

echoes & reflections

The completion of another intermediate seminar as we continue to increase the depth of knowledge and wealth of glass artists in the San Antonio area. Join Gail Stouffer, Nina "Sam" Hibler and myself as we celebrate the success of these students and the work they accomplished during this nine week adventure.

Mad For Plaid

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It seems like this fall everyone is just mad for plaid. Although typically I am not one follow trends, this one was hard for even me to miss. All this talk of tartan patterns reminded me of a simple and fun way to achieve this same crisscross effect in glass. So here it is, a 4x4" glass sushi plate, perfect as coaster for a glass of scotch or small appetizer plate.

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Protecting Your Prize Possessions - Continued

If you didn't get enough of my rant on gloves the first time, I have more. I know, you were hoping I would.

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In addition to the pair of superstar HexArmor 9010 gloves I originally purchased, I recently received a pair of Magid Kevlar Armor gloves. A seamless knit glove with a level 5 of out of 6 rating on the ANIS scale for cut resistance they were just under $9 on magidglove.com, safe and affordable. Although I only used them briefly, I was not a big fan. I felt encumbered by them, lost behind the thick barrier of knit Kevlar. They'll work great for pulling sheet glass from the crate but not so great of anything more detailed.

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On the flip side, Cleo my 10-month old Doberman Pincher conducted her own test. Like so many puppies, Cleo is skilled at destruction. I should have known when the house was quite something was wrong. When I found Cleo she had one glove in her mouth and the other on the floor next to her. I'm gonna guess she had been working at them for a good 10 minutes. Nothing she has picked up has yet to survive far lesser periods of time alone with Cleo. These gloves, however, did not have a single snag. That's pretty amazing. Made of Kevlar Armor they are three times more cut resistant then standard Kevlar. Based on Cleo's incisors, I'm gonna say with confidence they are not just cut resistant but puncture resistant gloves too.

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Just a few last words before I step off my soap box. If you are going make the effort to find protective gear, get the right stuff for the job. Otherwise you set yourself with a false sense of security which can only disappoint. You're not wearing them to look pretty after all.

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Okay, I'm done now...