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!

Living The Questions: Thesis Thrashing

My first task this semester was over 40 hours gathering the multitudes of sketchbooks, worksheets, recommended reading lists, semester proposals, mentor updates and responses, semester evaluations, research, glass firing schedules, supply lists, etc.

I found this process of bringing it all together very satisfying.  Going through and putting my semester folders in chronological order helped me to see in a different light how far I had come from the Alphabet Project from that first semester.  It reminded me how new and unknown everything was back then; my podmates, mentors, instructors, the commitment, the school, and the wonder of how this whole MFA process was going to shake out.  As I piled each folder on top of one another and recalled what transpired that semester, I was reminded how far we've all come, the wonderful lifelong friendships made, the trials and tribulations dealt with, and the ups and downs of life happening to each of us outside of school.  Being witness to all of that has just reaffirmed that this was the right path for me.

Once everything was piled high in the middle of my work table the questions began surfacing.  What the heck am I going to do for a final project?  Where do I start?  What's the focus?  What is my intention?  How "big" should it be?  What is the actual thing itself going to be?  After a lot of deliberation and thought, I came up with an idea that will continue with the mandala theme and that of the heroine's journey.  My love for making books had been part of the early semesters when we had an outside major projects that we could choose.  Once those outside majors had be chosen for us, I missed making books as part of the mandala/journey process.  So, I think it's time for me to bring the book back and have it as a final presentation.

With the idea of making a book comes the question, what kind of book is it going to be?  What is a book anyway?  Webster's says a book is "a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers".  But it doesn't have to be.  I'm thinking a glass book and a book that is possibly one that viewers can touch and interact with.

The book will be about life's journey.  It will be drawn from my own heroine's journey through Shaker Spirit Drawings, Jungian Mandalas and the seven human chakras that will become part of the design elements.  Right now I'm deliberating on the best form of the book that will make it more interactive.  I don't know where this "interaction" element is coming from but need to see it through to fruition if it's possible.  The book will be made of 7 co-centric circles that will be movable from a central element.  The designs on each of the 7 circular mandalas will be simple and transparent so when you spin each circle the next layer of mandala is visible in a different way.  Not sure how all this will play out structurally and technically but am going to give it a try.

As you know, the layering process is important to me but I intend to keep it very simple (and less chaotic than the last two semester's pieces).  Whether the entire piece needs to be lit from below or not will be determined by the glass itself.  Many test pieces will need to be made in order to know whether that is a possibility or necessity!

I've been building some book prototypes out of foam core board and paper to get a basic idea of the structure and what that will visually look like.  I'm making some smaller scaled versions of the mandalas layers to get an idea what that will entail as well.  The design elements on each of the 7 layers will be made with frit and colored glass.  At this point I'm not intending to have any 'painting' included.  I see the final piece as something that viewers will come to with quiet reception and inquisitive thinking as they are invited to touch the work.  Am I crazy to think that it is safe to do so?  I might be.

Using words have been an question for me and I'm not sure that I will as that changes the experience.  I think I will use my 'calligrahic script' style to suggest writing in various places.

So, that's where I am at the moment.  Actively aware daily that this project is finding it's own voice.  I have been reading several books on Carl Jung and some on mandalas themselves.  The quest for more knowledge about the subject matters is always there.  I'm finding a book written by William D. Geoghegan, "Jung's Psychology: As a Spritual Practice & Way of Life" is relavent for where I am in this process of thesis thrashing.

I think this is a significant piece to do as it relates to everyone's journey through life whether a hero or a heroine and it seems a good culmination of all my work thus far.  I would hope people would come away with a sense of spirituality or centered-ness from experiencing my book.

So, I continue to live the questions not just ask them.  And the answers?  Those come with living the questions and doing the work.

Winter Whites

Structural integrity.

The snow clung like magnets and the branches were thick.  It reminded me of my first Christmas in California when I was 8 years old.  My dad came home with a light blue flocked tree and I couldn't believe what I saw.  The real thing is so much better!

The last snow storm of January, I think.  The river has had more ice this year...perfect for the spring duck races.  One year a seal came down river floating on an ice berg.  That was a great sight.

Mandala Bowls

It's a new year.  2014.  Wow...is time going by faster or am I just not paying attention?

A great big thank you to all of you who helped me with my MFA work this semester.  I made this video for you.  Please bear in mind that this is new technology for me (movies) so if there's a broken link, pixelated photos or scrambled music, I apologize.

It was a semester of new learning for me, not so much with glass but with my own limitations, intentions, thought processes, creativity (you know, the human side of things)!

Mandala Creation in Glass 

The movie has been uploaded to YouTube and as I watch it, I see some faults.  The movie is 7:51 minutes long but it did not play the rolling credits, in which all of you are listed!!!  But you know who you are and I thank you!

All the photos in the movie were taken as production of the two bowls was underway.  Each bowl was fused twice.  The first fusing was completely flat and then it was slump fused into a ceramic mold.  The total time in the kiln for each mandala was roughly 17 hours.

I hope you enjoy!

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!

Book Binding and Calligraphy

I had the wonderful opportunity to take a workshop with British book artist, Paul Johnson last week in Portland.  Actually I had two opportunities to learn about what Paul does with paper.  The Baxter Society hosted his lecture at USM where he showed dozens of colorful three dimensional books that just popped out into space from his large suitcase!  What was astounding about his work was the intense color and that nothing was folded.  He ingeniously used dovetailed paper slots to hold things together!

One of Paul's Pop Up Books

Paul Johnson demonstrating how his books work at Baxter Society Meeting

Paul Johnson Pop Up Book

Another bit of interesting information about Paul was that he didn't feel his books were too precious to open it up and pass it around the room.  Can you imagine?   His books not only looked spectacular but their stories were fun and humorous.  He was a huge fan of taking a fairy tale and making it his own in silly, unexpected ways.

The following morning 12 of us piled into The Strong Arm Bindery Studio to take Paul's Spirit House Workshop.  The workshop wasn't long enough for me!  It was just the teaser for what could be done with his technique.  Paul showed us the basic structure of his Spirit House design and then it was up to us to alter it and make them our own.  The photos below show student work of Spirit Houses that are roughly 15" high by 6" wide.  The fascinating thing is that all fold down flat!

Spirit Houses:  Student work with Paul looking on

Spirit Houses:  Student work (mine is the center one)

Artist and Student!

On Saturday I had the distinct pleasure and privilege to teach a basic calligraphy workshop to some folk at Shaker Village in Gray, ME.  I combined Italic calligraphy with pressed herbs and flowers to make cards of various sorts.  I gave a tour through the Shaker herb garden where students collected specimens to press and take home for future projects.  Calligraphy isn't something you can get proficient at in a day but those 5 students certainly tried!  They worked tirelessly learning how to hold the pen at just the right angle, how long the ink would last with one dip, and how practice makes perfect!  We discussed things like our dismay over the fact that cursive writing isn't being taught in schools anymore and how kids are losing out on not using their hands in creative ways.  I was delighted to learn that a couple students had already purchased their own supplies the following day!

Student Calligraphic Cards at Shaker Village

Student Calligraphic cards at Shaker Village

 After a full week of creative endeavors outside the studio, I am looking forward to being in my own studio and creating more.  This last photo is a Spirit House I did using Paul Johnson's basic template only I reduced it considerably in size.  The height of this one is only 8" tall!  Before I cut out the pieces I calligraphed each section and used permanent markers to make colorful designs.  This is just a prototype of things to come.  I find that my hands need to make a new book structure a few times before I really learn it's language.

Spirit House by Bonnie

Glass Boston and Typesetting

 

MIT, Cambridge, Mass

I had a great experience at GlassBoston this week at MIT.  It was overwhelming just being at MIT!  I had never been before and didn't expect it to be so vast.  Buildings were interconnected for miles it seems.  I attended several lectures but my two favorite were by MIT professor, Michael J. Cima and artists, Erik & Martin Demaine.

"Shape Matters" was the topic of Cima's presentation and ranged from how 3D printing can assist the glass artist to the architecture of Antoni Gaudi.  He spoke about the inventiveness of artists and scientists alike and how at MIT they describe a good inventor or innovator as someone who collects solutions, gets into the shoes of the user and has infectious enthusiasm.

The work by the father (Martin Demaine) & son (Erik Demaine) team had a more personal connection for me.  Martin is a paper artist/glass blower and Erik is an origami/paper artist & mathematician, and both have extremely scientific minds.  Here is a sample of their work.  Folding glass is near impossible but this is what they are trying to do with their next body of work based on their origami paper folded sculptures.  

Bridge to Cambridge

David Wolfe

On Saturday, I had the great pleasure of taking a day-long workshop with David at his Portland studio.  Wow, is all I can say.  My eyes were open wide as I watched him operate his various typesetting machines and presses.  David's been printing professionally since 1979-see his website here.  I set my sights on designing and printing a simple business card, or so I thought it would be simple!

Learning how to make the lead lines of type

 

Proofing: adjusting design at every step of the way.

Good eyesight is a MUST with small type.

There is a connection to David's innovative problem solving and the Michael J. Cima lecture at MIT---Innovation.  And the innovation of a good printer is astounding.  I saw David trouble shoot and problem solve dozens of times throughout the day as 5 of us designed business cards, bookplates and letterhead stationery.  The designers of typesetting equipment were innovators and inventors themselves.  Tools that can make almost anything happen.  And David was a wizard at making everything happen! 

I came away with gorgeous square black & white business cards.  I intend to embellish them with some mandala activity in watercolor or colored pencil.  I could see falling in love with the process but have to be careful because I'm in love with too many as it is!

That brings me to the next push in the studio this week.  Some glass boxes for a gallery here in Maine and the beginning designs for a triptych stained glass piece.  There will be some distraction though as I am anticipating the exciting workshop with UK book artist, Paul Johnson on Friday...but more on that next time!