How to exhibit a book on a display board

In my last post I shared how I had been invited to have a solo exhibition of my work at a college. It was a lovely opportunity and it also posed a challenge, because my passion is making handmade books. How do I display these on a flat upright board?!  

After giving it some thought I decided to take photos of some book pages, so that there were examples of the different construction and designs.  But I felt it was important to actually have my work on display so that visitors could see the layers and detail, so I decided to make 2 concertina books specially for the exhibition.  

I chose this construction because it is simple and quick to make. Time was a factor, but even more important, it could be open and attached across the board for easy viewing. I love taking photos and one of my favourite ways of sharing these is to put them into a book. So I chose two sets, and spent several days covered in paint and glue. I was really pleased with the result, as I could create a slight dimension with the folded pages when attaching them to the display board, rather than having the books flat.  

The other pieces of art that I displayed are pages from my art journal, and a collection of tree experiments, using tissue, ink and wax. The exhibition will show for the month of March and in a few weeks I will be meeting the students to tell them more about my art. I have offered to show them how to make a mini book so I'm looking forward to this, and now I have re-fired my love of the concertina book I can't wait to make some more. They may be simple and easy to make, but they are so versatile and fun to do.  Come back soon to see the second book that is on display.  And if you'd like to see the first one it can be seen here . 

I have just noticed the row of art journal pages are not placed very well. Trying to support the large board while stapling wasn't easy especially when you can't stand back to see what you are doing! It  didn't help that we were trying to put the exhibition up in between tutorials. Hopefully the students will know that I am practising imperfection!  

These two photos show how the concertina books could be displayed to show the open pages.

Thank you for visiting and I'll be back to show the second book on Sunday. 

5 in 5 - April 2018 - The Sketchbook Project

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

The Sketchbook Project is an annual event and this year I decided to participate. Artists are sent a book which you complete in any way of your choosing using a few basic guidelines. The book is then returned to Brooklyn, US and becomes part of a travelling exhibition and permanent library. I was excited when my book arrived and was pleased by the small size, as I had made up my mind that in order to meet the deadline I would need to work within constraints. I set myself a goal which I explained on the back page of the book:

"I can be a perfectionist and chose this opportunity to participate without pressure or expectation.  There are things in the sketchbook that I would do differently another time, but I have given myself permission to let it go. This was a good experience and learning for me, because sometimes high expectation can stop me starting or mean that I did not enjoy the process so much because I undo or redo in search of getting it right. This time I achieved this by letting go, and I enjoyed making this sketchbook and accepted that good is enough!

I chose a quote as my theme as I wanted a connection to flow through the pages, and these words were meaningful to what I wanted to achieve and where I am in life".  

So let's take a look:

I have a few more details to add and then it will be posted back to Brooklyn. I'm glad I took part, it has been an opportunity to be playful and I used a range of mixed media techniques including stamping, paint, pens and ink, collage, grunge paste, stencils and texture. Thank you for looking, and maybe this will inspire you to take part next year.

Meaning Making - an exploration with ink and poetry

Last year I signed up for an online course called Meaning Making : Inspired by Poetry with Lendon Noe.  It took time for me to to start as I wanted to set aside several days of uninterrupted time, and snow days last week were the perfect opportunity.  I won't go into detail about the content as it is a paid course and Lendon talks about the course in the video included on the link above; but I will say how much I enjoyed Lendon's relaxed and professional presentation and the course content. Some of her ideas were new to me, and  that's always a good thing because I like to be stretched and to try something different. And this was.

I decided to be open to the experience and go along with the ideas suggested by Lendon, although I struggled to get excited about the theme of apples.  'Just see it as process!' I told myself. And with the table covered in inks and mark makers I made myself comfortable with the lap top set up.

Each of the 6 videos include a different stage or technique, so I took regular breaks to try these out. I didn't take photos throughout as I wanted to get into flow. And the idea of apples? These provided a good focus and starting point, and an idea I will use in future. But for now, let's look at some of my pages. They are not meant to be works of art - for me they are play, and practice pages.  I will be making them into a resource book  and on the back of each page I have written the technique and general approach - because I know I won't remember in time to come!  

Let's get started: 

A selection of my tools. I enjoyed using the pipette and stick. I have yet to master the home made cola pens and need more practice and experimentation.

I treated myself to Sumi ink and brushes but never got round to using these. As the project is work in progress these can come out next time.  I also used a restricted range of ink colours on these experiments so I will be more bold then too.

One of our tasks was to draw and take photos of apples, and below is one that I printed to use as a collage. Other photos were image transferred and I discovered Lendon's technique was quick and easy,  although in fairness she warns this has variable results. Anyone who does image transfers will know this is the case, although I have generally been lucky. 

One of my pages with ink background, this was created by 'mopping up' surplus ink and water from the master page. Some of the pages  became quite wet after spritzing with water and moving the colour around and I love getting two pages from one. Interestingly my favourite fluid was my homemade walnut ink, the colour was rich and stable and also colourfast. I will certainly make more walnut ink this year.

Lendon encouraged the use of poetry and apples in our work. These were more mopping up pages that worked well as a background for text. I liked this poem and the little boat is part of an apple.

I have since decided that some red ink will add to this page, so I will come back to this.

After a while I began to feel more loose and playful.  I also started to use my own ideas, and here I cut an apple stencil out of a sheet of acetate.  It also worked well as a template.

When you look at a cross section of an apple the seeds look like a small star shape, so I also cut a small stamp out of foam to print onto the pages. 

I experimented on different papers, and sketching apples too. I loved Lendon's suggestion for how to do this and I would love to be more confident and loose, so I will practice more in future.  I'm glad that I was open to the theme of apples as they are  quite easy to draw and offer lots of variables such as shapes, sizes and colours, and ways you can cut them. I may even continue with this theme a while longer, while I experiment more and get familiar with different mark makers and inks. Meantime I have a big pile of papers and backgrounds to work on more, and while other people were out on their sledges or negotiating treacherous roads, I enjoyed the snow days, warm indoors!

Thank you for popping by. And if you have encountered some difficult weather days, I hope you could make the most of them too. 

Adventures with Alice

"Let's get together again" we said.

We had loved the four day Summer School with Alice Fox and didn't want this time to come to an end. And so I suggested a house that we could hire and lured Alice with the thought of being on an island. Luckily it worked, but because of Alice's heavy work schedule we had to be patient... so it was eighteen long months later that we headed out across the causeway. 

 There was beautiful daffodils to welcome us...

And cosy chairs around the log fire.

And it's here our adventure began.
Alice called it: 'Personal and collaborative responses to landscape'.

We called it magical.

We were surrounded by a wide expanse of marsh and mudflats, and a horizon that stretches forever. Alice had warned us that much of our time will be spent outdoors, what ever the weather. And so we had come prepared with waterproofs and thermal layers; most of which remained unpacked because the weather took a turn and blessed us with clear blue skies. We were glad of our jackets and hats though, as there was a chill to the breeze and this would be felt when we sat quietly observing, sketching, or writing. Alice encouraged us to spend time alone, to use this time to explore our creativity and sense of connection. And we all welcomed this permission. Because while it is good to have company and to spend time with friends, it is a different kind of experience, alone.

After exploring and unpacking (done in that order for some of us!) we met back at the house for dinner. That was when we discovered
another talent of Alice's. Her home cooked meals became a highlight of the day, and quick trips back to the house for tea were just an excuse for a slice of homemade cake that would make a master baker proud! I was excited to have this time and opportunity to work with Alice again and I had not given much thought to meals. These turned out to be understated and Alice got it absolutely right in her choice and menu. We felt very well looked after, and this added to the weekend's memory and experience. Our first day ended with Alice showing us examples of her work. I was inspired and buzzing with ideas and went to bed fully sated, excited for a new day to begin.  

Some of us got up early to wander the island before breakfast. Ideas were already bubbling, and inspired by Alice's mark making I tried not to use my camera as my automatic way of recording. Instead I folded a piece of A3 card, with the idea of making a book of my walk. I set off with the card folded in one hand and a graphite stick in the other. They made contact as I walked along the sea wall.

Frequently I ventured off to explore the marsh.

  
This landscape might look bleak and dull, but look close and you find hidden surprises.

As a photographer it is hard not to frame and shoot.  But I wanted to push myself outside my comfort zone and to try something different; so I used Alice's encouragement to make marks. I sketched, did rubbings, and sometimes sat to write down my thoughts and observations....

Back at the house I added colour to some of these.
This book is still work in progress, but shows some of the recordings I made on this early morning walk.

The next photo shows my meandering; the marks made with graphite stick held against the card. Their random, uneven lines are a

response to my unsteady footsteps as I explored the sea wall and marsh. I love this irregular shape that captured time and place. But what I discovered, when I unfolded the card at the end of my walk both surprised and intrigued me, and it still does. 

  

You see, to make it easy to draw, I walked with the card folded into a thick wedge. I started at the house and marked this with a X. I did not plan or even think about where I was going with this idea, it was just an unconscious piece of work that was experimental and fun. While I drew I looked where I walked - this was important if I was to keep myself safe. The mud is deep and potentially dangerous, especially as I was on my own. Each time I came to the end of a fold I turned the card and continued it onto the next page. 

Why was I surprised and intrigued?

Because without any intention or plan, my marks ended exactly where they began. I had no way of seeing what came on the page before or after, as the card was folded for the whole walk. If the mark had ended at a different edge I would have flipped the card over to continue. I could have ended with a blank space, or with my mark somewhere else completely different on the A3 sheet. I was surprised to find my mark back where it started. Just like my walk.

 A  cut across the centre fold meant I could make a simple book structure. Inside you get a glimpse of my rubbings and sketches.

This had started out as an experiment, just to satisfy my excitement and eagerness to get started. I was already bursting with ideas but after breakfast Alice planned to talk about what our time together would look like.
I'd better tell you about that next time!

ALICE FOX - LOST AND FOUND WORKSHOP - ONE

Last week I spent 4 wonderful days at ArtVanGo in Hertfordshire.  I was booked on Alice Fox's Summer School called LOST AND FOUND and people had travelled from Yorkshire and other distant places to attend.  Not only was the workshop full but there were as many people on the reserve list so I considered myself very fortunate to be there.  Not only that, but others paid to stay in local hotels and accommodation. Me?  I stayed free of charge in a pub car park. That's the joy of having a campervan and being sufficient!

But enough of that. Let's talk about the Summer School.  My heart still flutters even when I think of it!  I had SO looked forward to this! Kev and Viv are owners of ArtVanGo who were welcoming and I felt very looked after throughout my stay.  I was also among a lovely bunch of fellow students and in response to a photo I shared on Facebook a friend in Amsterdam commented that she knew someone else booked on this course.  It turns out this mutual friend was sitting right opposite me and that we had struck up a friendship. This creative world gets more connected and smaller all the time!

But I digress again.  See, I told you my heart was a flutter! I am
so full of ideas and memories that it is hard to settle.  But I will try. Here goes!!

The workshop was about creating prints and designs using found materials - rust, plants, string and such like. You get the idea. We started straight away, and I couldn't believe that by lunch time on our first day we had already been so productive!  Alice is a brilliant tutor, very relaxed and informative, there when you need her and giving encouragement and opportunity to develop your own ideas. She had provided a wonderful supply of fabric and card/paper to experiment with, and also an extensive collection of materials to use.  I shared just a few of these on my previous post.

I have learnt to make my own journal/notebook when I go on workshops as I had a habit of loosing my notes and sample pieces. So now I collect these together and I will write another post explaining more how I do this. Meantime you can see my first signature bottom right.

We started by making prints with rust on card and after watching Alice demonstrate we lost no time in choosing from our stack of materials. I chose a sheet of thick cartridge paper and painted it with green tea. There were other mordents available, so lots of opportunity to experiment. Luckily no one drunk the red wine and we discovered this made a beautiful pink dye!

 

 

After painting my page I added wire wool and another layer of green tea to make it hold fast to the paper.  It is important to achieve as much contact as possible.

 

After, Alice showed us how to use fabrics.  This time we wrapped around rusty mails.

I decided to use a random effect for my second bundle. After
wrapping we left the bundle in mordant to soak for a short time so that it was evenly saturated.


We put our work outside and learnt to be patient.  The wire wool started to show  a reaction very quickly which was exciting,  but we wouldn't know what the wrapped items would look like until they were untied.  This is a very unpredictable process, full of surprise.  And we had to wait several days to get the best effect!   
And when my bundles were unwrapped this is what I found. A wonderful pattern of different colour marks.  

Here you can see a third piece of fabric where I laid other rusty objects onto the surface, rather than wrapping.  This creates a very different effect.

And remember I started by putting wire wool onto a sheet of card? This is the result. Isn't it fabulous?! 

 

Now I know some people will shake their head in wonder.  My friend Jill is a fine example and I know she won't mind me saying! But if like me you like using materials to create something unique and unpredictable then these are great techniques. I love this organic look and having the opportunity to create something beautiful from something that was found or thrown away. Luckily four days allowed us to come home with some finished projects, some work in progress  and a large selection of printed fabric and papers, ready to use.

Alice had so many examples and ideas to share and we were extra lucky as an exhibition of her work was displayed in ArtVanGo at the time of our visit.  So to end, I will show you a quick selection.  Thank you Alice for giving permission to share these photos and more examples and techniques are in Alice's wonderful book called Natural Processes in Textural Art.

 

 



And to see more examples of my own work, come back soon.  I am planning another post or two! 

Blog Hop - FOCUS

Welcome to the Blog Hop!  With focus as a theme it could only mean one thing to me - my camera!  It goes everywhere with me and on my recent trip to the Shetland Islands I took over 4,000 photos, but don't worry I'm not planning to show these today! 

Instead, I chose just one and I decided to use it as an art journal page.  Out of necessity this was a quick page but I did manage to try a new technique.  I went to the Shetlands to attend a book making course and one of the ladies had printed photos onto tracing paper.  I loved the effect this gave to her page so I tried it out here using the image of a camera.  The opaque paper allows the background text to show through, I love being able to see different layers and this is a technique I will use often hereon.   I have lots of journals: for experimenting and playing in, art, for writing morning pages, and others which have a theme.  This one is all about 'journey' and I have written more about my journaling here.  

 

But I digress!  While visiting the Shetlands I flew out to the Fair Isles and stayed in the Bird Observatory.  This was a wonderful adventure and I will write about it more another time. I'm already planning a return visit!   It was here that we hoped to see puffins; however we

was told that they were just starting to arrive and it seems they come and go until they start to nest.  So imagine my joy when my first cliff top walk revealed lots of these little birds!

They are deceptively small and are quite brave birds, allowing us to get quite close.  They were beginning to seek out burrows and it is quite clear to see where they nest as the ground is like craters!  Puffins are not camera shy either so I was able to take lots of photos, in fact some seemed to even pose!

 



I like to have fun with my camera and as a way of creating focus I have a monthly neme called '5 in 5'.  The idea is to set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone) and to take as many photos as you can in that time.  Then choose your favourite five and post them, linking back to my page so that others can come and see.  And just to keep things easy I post on the 5th of each month but you are welcome to post yours up to the 25th, so there is still time this month if you would like to join in!  Please pop over to see more here if you have time.  

As well as photography, one of my greatest passions is making books and as I have so many photos to choose from I have decided to use PhotoBox on this occasion.  It's my first time of sharing my photos this way but it won't stop me making other books about my trip!  I love constructing and choosing papers for each page and if you would like to find out more about the books I make and workshops that I run I have a Facebook Page.  

I am offering a giveaway.   To be in for a chance, just leave a comment on my Facebook page and I will chose a name from random on Sunday the 24th of May at 10pm BST.  Like my page and you will be entered twice!  

So!  Thanks for popping by and I hope the puffins made you smile as much I did.

Next in the Blog Hop is Louise so do pop over and say hi!   And if you have come straight here you might want to start at the beginning as Jennifer is planning a weekend of fun events and is giving away a WRK Insta Album Kit. 

 

 

This is the prize up for offer.  Enter to win by commenting on all the blogs in the Focus Your Craft & Soul Hop! The giveaway closes on Sunday the 24th of May at 10pm BST, and is open internationally.  Here is the complete list, have fun!

 

Jennifer: http://jennifergracecreates.com/

Sheena: http://sheenasscrapsandscribbles.blogspot.co.uk/

Sandie: http://itchifingers.blogspot.co.uk/

Louise: http://scrapbook-me.blogspot.co.uk/

Leslie: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.co.uk/

K: http://kscraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/

Jo: http://curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.co.uk/

Jacky: http://scrappyjackylive.blogspot.co.uk/

Furrypig: http://chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.co.uk/

Daphne: https://dapfniedesign.wordpress.com/

Clare: http://crafty-clare.blogspot.co.uk/

Claire: http://www.creativemakings.co.uk/

Annie: http://www.artyfartyannie.com/

 

JUNK JOURNAL SWAP - PART 1

I promised some ideas about how to prepare pages for a Junk Journal and if you missed the first post about how you can take part in the SWAP you can find it here. 

But before we start I had an interesting question posted by Denise:

"Hello....l kind of like the idea of a junk journal but l just cant see the point of them at the same time! Can you explain to me WHY people make them and what's the purpose of them?  I would like to understand!"

Mmmmm... this got me thinking.  WHY do I make junk journals?  Well first and foremost I love making journals par se.... for me it is somewhere to record memories and to keep
photos and memorabilia together.  I can open a page and immediately I am taken back and other memories unfold.  It is something to share with others and to browse through, it is easy to carry around and store, and it's more interesting than a photo album.  That said, I don't know anyone who keeps their photos in traditional albums now.  Do you?

Lots of my journals are made from new materials, but what separates a junk journal is that you don't have to be precious.  You can afford to make mistakes or be messy, and use up scraps or paper and card that you would otherwise throw away.  You can be experimental,  and it's a good way to practice new techniques or ideas as it's not meant to be perfect or uniform.  Anything goes!  Every page can be  interesting to look at and to create and it's the surprise element that makes Junk Journals fun. 

But they are also functional.  It can be a travel journal, somewhere to record  favourite recipes, or for a person or occasion.  I guess for me a Junk Journal allows free expression.  I can be playful, create something from nothing, and it is totally unique.  As much as I love merchandise (just ask my friends and see my stash!) there is something special about creating pages yourself - taking a sheet of paper or card and making your own mark. And where some of the pages have images or print on them already, you can leave these or alter.... paint over them, add to them, doodle, make into cartoons, do exactly as your please!!   And the swap makes your Junk Journal even more fun.  Because you never know what other papers you will receive until it is returned to you.  That's when more fun begins!   So, for Denise and anyone else wondering WHY people make Junk Journals and their purpose, I hope my personal point of view provides some perspective.


So lets get started!

I always collect card and paper so I have piles ready to use for what ever project I am working on.  Today I gathered some some different collections and laid them out.

Some pages will be unaltered, leaving the recipient to enjoy or change them as they choose so it is always worth thinking about interesting pages or papers.  It is good to have a variety in a junk journal, as this allows lots of scope and interest when you come to fill your journal.  So my pile contains some of the following:

Wallpaper, tissue paper, velum, corrugated card, textured, smooth, glittery, matt, patterned, plain, graph
Envelopes - all shapes and sizes
Maps and atlas pages
Pages from books, magazines, leaflets, catalogues, paint chips, diary, phone book 
Greeting cards, post cards
Packaging, paper bags, advertising leaflets
And so on.....

My plan is to select an interesting variety and I will include these in my journal and in the swap, without changing them.  Lets face it, a take away menu might be mundane to me, but for someone in another country it could be an interesting read.  If not, it provides a base for paint, collage, or other alteration.   I will tear or cut these pages to size (max. 8 x 6 ins) and then next, start to make another pile ready for altering.  And that will be the focus of the next posts, because for the next 2 weeks we will look at the following:

Making pockets, wallets, and ways to conceal or contain things like journaling, tickets, tags etc.

MAKE A MARK:

Ways of changing the look of your page by using paint, inks and college

Stamping (including how to make your own stamps using simple, basic materials)

Doodling, drawing, writing

And finally, sewing and adding fabrics

It's not too late to join in the SWAP and the more the merrier!!   So if you want to find out more go to the link already given (and repeated here)  and this is a related post which might also be useful.  It shows one of my recent Junk Journals that is waiting to be filled. If you have already started to collect your pages or to 'make a mark' then brilliant!!  Please do share any other ideas or tips, and also the reasons why YOU like making Junk Journals. 

Thanks for popping by, and if you know anyone who might be interested in taking part please do share this information.  I'll be back soon with more.