Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Wings

No bird soars to high,
if he soars with his own wings

-William Blake
-
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.
-

Monday, October 19, 2009

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.
-
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.
-
New Ideas
-
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.
-
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
-
-
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.
-

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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.
-



-
-
-
Above Left: 6" cast soda lime glass bowl
Above Right: detail of this same bowl
-
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.
-
For information on how climate change is impacting Glaciers check out these websites:
-10x10" footed sushi plate made of soda lime glass
-

Sunday, October 11, 2009

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.
-
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.
-
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.
-

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ART281 - Sunday, October 11th



-
-
-
-
-
-
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.
-
My Place Bar & Grille
29094 US Highway 281 North
Bulverde, Texas 78163-3105
Just 8 miles outside Loop 1604
North on US Highway 281
-

Saturday, October 3, 2009

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).
-
When all was said and done...

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