The Green Fan (Girl of Toledo Spain)

I had posted earlier about a book that I was working on and forgot to add photos of the completed book.

I will do that today.

I used a photo of one of my favorite paintings (see this this post).

I printed it out on a nubby fabric (some type of poly blend I think) (it was a cheap sheer curtain fabric from my mom's house) and then built the front of the cover around it.

You can see from this picture that I added a bit of hand dyed lace to the sides , to create a spine wrap of sorts.

 Ah, this is where the photo of the front of the book went!
I have changed the template of my blog and am still learning how to work in it,
just when I had gotten so used to the previous template.

repeat -
change is good...
change is good...

 On the inside of the book cover, I placed an old doily that I made.
It really coordinated well with all the other fabrics so I donated it to the cause.
A scrappy "signature wrap" (I learned this from DJ Pettitt) snuggles all the pages of the book together.

 And I just love the back cover of this book!
I've used a combo of several acrylic mediums to create a leather like substance. I then used a mix of water and acrylic mediums to color it.
A series of paint, dry.
Paint, dry.
Repeat until your OCD is soothed...
Or you get distracted by sanding it...

And there you have it, another cool book!
I hope that I can take these books with me to Asheville tomorrow - well, what I really meant to say was that I hope I get to go to Asheville (NC) tomorrow for the monthly Fiber Art Alliance meeting.
The schools are closed there today - snow, black ice - you know that sort of nasty winter weather.
If I get to go tomorrow - I will carry the new books to show and tell. I'm sure that my fiber and book lovin' peeps will like them!
Say creative my friends.

Rainy Day

It's a rainy day here in Piedmont South Carolina.
My husband tells me that it is cold outside as well...
I wouldn't personally know since I haven't stepped outside the house today.
I've been inside, in the studio.
Busy as a bee.
Working on wayyy too many things at once.
Here is a sampling... Doodling, working out the kinks on a new technique for a collaborative project and another book cover.
Oh, two books.
I am working on a black/white and a touch of red book.
And "The Green Fan (Girl from Toledo, Spain) (Robert Henri 1912) book.
Jeesh - that's not the name of the book,
just the painting (printed on fabric) that I put on the cover.



It's one of my favorite paintings.
It is on display at Gibbs Art Museum in one of my favorite cities - Charleston SC.
The museum owns the painting so it's on permanent display there.
It is just breath taking.
So if you're planning a visit to historic Charleston,
head over to the Gibbs.
You won't regret it.

Studio Time

I spent some time in the studio,
doing what my friend Laura said to do ("Now, go make something.").
I've been merrily making books,
sometimes working on three or four at the same time.
I do that a lot...work on several things at a time.
My photos loaded backwards to what I thought they would.
Imagine that.

This small book (4 1/2"w x 5 1/2"h) has a lot of vintage lace,
my illustrations (inside and out) and the words
"To Thine Own Self Be True"
and
"Fight".

I added a row of beads down the spine on this one

as well as a beaded trim on the front cover.

I love the blue beads.

When I added the word "fight",

I was thinking about how we have to fight everyday to protect who we are.

How we have to fight for our personal freedom.

How we have to fight to BE.

To Be Who We Are.

Studio Time

I have a studio guest coming today.
The last few days have been spent in mad preparation...
or more commonly know as "the mad dash for cleaning out the stash".
I'll leave you with a quick photo of what else I've been doing while spending time in the studio.

New Books, new class

I'm working on new books today.
I started three smaller covers last night
and, in a flurry of inspiration, I made five signatures as well.
I'm working on a new book making class - one that can be made in one day.

Easy peasy.

These are in the process of drying.

we all should do that you know...

Overcome all obstacles...

Sewing on fabric, paper and acrylic mediums.

I love adding bits and pieces to my book pages.

I love mixing this and that and making it into a cohesive piece of art.

I just love creating things, don't you?

Completed book project!

Do any of you have WIP that you've had sitting around for a longggg time?

Boy I sure do.

I had this book project, one that I just adored, just sitting there, waiting to be finished.
I guess it was last year
(wow, where does time go?!)
that I traveled to Alabama
to take a workshop (or two) from DJ Pettitt.
A book making/painting class.
I also took one with DJ and Deryn Mentock but
today I'm just talking about the book making class.
I started it in class but put it down when I got home.
I wasn't even going to finish it...
because the painting on the front was from a sketch that DJ had done.
I wanted the entire book to be "mine"...my artwork.
And , in my own defense, it is my painting but...

you know what I mean...
right?

I later changed my mind.

(imagine that)

I realized that I had put a lot of effort, time and money into the cover.

(this long story is getting longer, isn't it?)

I'll stop there and just show you the book,
how about that?

The cover is completely water proof...

very durable...

you can sew on it, paint on it...

wonderfully soft and flexible too.

All those beautiful carved beads on the spine...along with a vintage doily that my grandmother made (and I dyed!).

I have sewn five thick and yummy signatures into the book.

Lots of textured pages...

with lace, old linens and my grandmothers fabric left overs.

I've included signature wraps with collage work from my paintings, as well as a couple of DJ's post cards.

A little bit of reverse applique as well...

So, there you have it.

One more WIP off my worktable (and my list).

What next?!

Mixed Media Artist Book

I have been making plans for a while now for a mixed media artist book (or journal).
If I complete it like I have planed, or even close to it,
there should be a ton of techniques in it!
I made the first (of several) folders that will be inside of it.
This one is a manila folder that has been cut down to size,
painted, inked, sanded, stenciled, spritzed, grommet-ed, taped,
and waiting for a collage element on the front of it.
I'll use screen fabric, a copy of a bird painting that I did,
along with painted/sanded and torn tuna cardboard and maybe a few circular washers...
or a feather...
Either way -
It's going to be great!

Another Bird Painting...

Well, I must be overly attrached to Chickadee's and didn't even know it! I started this new painting yesterday and thought I'd share the first phase of it. I have a good bit more work to do on it.

And when my husband got home from work yesterday, he checked the mail...made me chase him to get a package from Oregon...I had sent the front panel of my mixed media book (from DJ's class) to DJ for her to fix an over heating problem for me. This is what I go back yesterday!

I had forgotten how beautiful the coloring was on the panel. This is DJ's drawing we used in the classroom. She did a little touch up painting on it (she said just to fix the boo boo from the iron - but I don't remember my painting being this beautiful!). So now I can head back to the studio to begin putting the book cover together. It's going to be so awesome!