Bingo!

The last couple of months I've been working on two artist's books that deal with reusing, redeeming or reviving something.  So, in memory of my mom, Cathy, who loved to play bingo, I'm reusing and reviving some old bingo cards that didn't win the jackpots.  I am fortunate enough to be in two wonderful shows that start today.  Both are attributable to the Kate Cheney Chappell '83 Center for Book Arts through the University of Southern Maine.

The first book, "Bingo", incorporated over 100 pages of bingo cards that have been folded and inserted into one another.  No glue was used to hold the pages together in this book.  There was glue used to hold the spine on, that's all.  I did play around with other titles like, 'loser' but thought being positive was better.

"Bingo!" Blizzard Book with over 100 pages using bingo sheets, 11"x5"x7" 

The second book, "B 42", is a book designed specifically to hang on a wall.  There are 25 book spheres that are attached by magnets to the wall.  Again, no glue was used.  I am assuming that everyone knows how bingo is played, thus the reason B42 is pink.

"B 42", Magnetic book pages that hang on a wall using bingo sheets, magnets, and metal clasps, 15"x15"

Rescued, Revived, Redeemed
Artists' Books made by The Center for Book Arts Critique Group at the Pope-Cheney Art Studio located on the 1st floor of the Wishcamper Center, 34 Bedford St., USM, Portland Campus  (Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Monday-Thursday, and 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday)  This show goes up March 13 and runs through May of 2014.


Bound Together
This exhibit will be composed of approximately 30- 50 artist’s books
created by USM students from Art 341, The Visual Book 2 and books made
by community members from the USM Kate Cheney Chappell’83 Center for
Book Arts Critique Group.  The exhibit will be shown in the Lewis Gallery in the Portland Public Library in April.  Opening reception is April 4, 2014 from 5-8pm.

Thanks for looking!

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

And my idea for getting out a blog every couple of weeks went right out the window.  June 26th...two months instead of two weeks!  I was looking through my phone camera to remind myself what all I did these few months...and an idea hit me..."What I Did On My Summer Vacation".
So here goes:

In June:
I took a solo trip to Connecticut to visit my maternal grandmother's homestead and meet some family that I didn't know I had!

My grandmother's house in Old Lyme, CT.  Many, many fond memories here!

Tiffany's Farm in Hamburg Village where I grew up in CT. 

My maternal grandfather's side...

While in CT I was lucky enough to see my godson, EJ and watch his last baseball game of the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In July, I took photos of the week-long workshops at Stonehouse and the Center for Book Arts in Freeport.  

 

 

July also found me on Great Diamond Island, year 31.

Hanging out at the back shore...

Also helped Heartwood College with some of the move to Biddeford.

Opened a new gallery called "Wholly Crow Gallery" with 2 friends in Biddeford at the North Dam Mill.

Went to Boston a couple times...

Hand dyed a few hundred tea towels that Wholly Crow Gallery sells.

AND on the creative front...

A couple little silver spoons meet dichroic glass...

Gearing up for the holidays...with fused glass beads

miniature book is 1" x 2" with a slit spine

paper designed with a calligraphy pen

paper designed with a brush

miniature book for the house on Great Diamond Island.

There is more but it's time to get busy and get into the studio for this semester's MFA work. 

Thanks for looking!

Anticipation of Summer

The oak trees are taking their sweet time emerging this spring.  

   It seems as if spring has taken forever to get into gear this year.  Luckily for me watching things unfold is one of my most favorite pastimes.  The greens are fresh and almost neon until the chlorophyll does it's job sucking the light's energy.  The robins have been busy building a nest outside my bathroom window in the eaves and am waiting to hear the peeps of 4 baby robins born one day after the other.

Japanese Maple sapling.  Year two.

Our 20 foot Japanese Maple tree succumbed to a nasty disease a few years back but managed to sow a few seeds before it left.  This little guy is growing in the middle of a rock garden.  I have no idea how the roots have found any soil but nature does amazing things.

I just finished the 7th semester of my MFA program at Heartwood College and had the semester presentation and critique this weekend.  All I can say is, phew, nice to have that behind me and summer ahead. 

Small Mandala Bowl, "Identification with the Masculine".  Fused glass layers and silk-screened print.

"Strong Women Can Say No" mandala vessel, multiple layers of fused glass

Dichroic glass earrings with freshwater pearls.

Having three months away from school work will be a welcome change.  Three more semesters to go including a thesis and then the real work starts.  That doesn't mean glass work will stop over the summer.  At the moment I am designing and building some glass jewelry boxes for a show at Figureworks Gallery www.figureworks.com in NYC at the end of this month.  At White Cap Grille in Portland's Old Port I am showing and selling my fused jewelry and fused glass mandalas. 
www.whitecapgrille.com (shameless plug!  My husband and I own this restaurant and the food is delicious!)

White Cap Grille is always open for First Friday Art Walk which happens to be this Friday evening.  It's a big weekend in Portland, the Art Walk and the Old Port Festival!  I've been talked into woman-ing the sandwich booth outside the restaurant (and will be making and selling those mini whoopie pies at that booth).

My first attempt at making a glass book

A while back I made this fused glass accordion book with individual mandalas on each glass page.  One of the things I'd like to work on this summer is another glass book.  One that needs drilling and multiple fusings.  I'm hoping to use the theme of "summer" to coincide with our book group's summer project.  I belong to the Kate Cheney Chappell Center for Book Arts at USM and we have a critique group that meets every month to share ideas and critique work. 

I've got a few workshops lined up for the summer as well, both taking and teaching.  I'm taking Paul Johnson's "Spirit Houses" workshop at The Strong Arm Bindery in Portland as well as a couple of David Wolfe's letterpress workshops.  I am teaching Calligraphy at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village on June 22nd and a Floral Print Book with Gel Prints and Haiku Workshop on September 14th.  If you're interested please check out this link http://www.shaker.lib.me.us/calendar.html
Space is limited for each Shaker Workshop.

Next week I am headed down to Boston to Glass Boston for 3 days.  GlassBoston is a four-day event that includes lectures, demonstrations, tours, a film series, gallery exhibitions, bbq dinner, non-juried show & sale, closing party, and pre/post conference workshops. GlassBoston has been organized by: MIT Glass Lab, NOCA Glass School @ APG, The Society of Arts and Crafts, & Strattman Design.  I'm looking forward to seeing what other artists are up to in the glass world.

So, always looking, always learning, always doing.  Wouldn't have it any other way!

Been Away too long

Artists book.
Unfolding of Psyche.