PSBA Members' Exhibit

The Puget Sound Book Artists (PSBA), which also includes at least five NORBAG members, is currently holding its eighth annual exhibit. According to the exhibition catalog: "On display at the University of Puget Sound Collins Library are books by artists from all over the Pacific Northwest working with a great diversity of materials and methods. Each piece is a fresh take on what a book can be and how its creator thinks and imagines." The exhibition will continue through July 27, 2018. To view photos of every book in the exhibit visit the following website at Collins Library: https://tinyurl.com/y95qtqc8.

The Collins Memorial Library Award went to NORBAG member Bonnie Halfpenny for her book titled, With a Compass, Without a Map.

This book is a tribute to four talented women. It includes photo transfers,
scans, as well as hand and machine stitching.

Photographs by Bonnie Halfpenny

The curator's choice award went to Jan Dove for her book, The Horsemen.

Jan works in Photoshop using layers to create her book that is pigment

 printed on paper.

The award of Excellence went to Isabel Duffey for her book titled, Unpacking.

Shown here, the book (box) is unfolded, but it all folds up into a perfect 4.25" cube.
It has letterpress printed panels with a combination of photopolymer plates, handset
type and linoleum cuts.

Photograph by Isabel Duffey

The following photographs are a small selection of books taken the opening night of the exhibition.

 

NORBAG member Kathy Dickerson is shown by a poster that includes her box titled,
Random Idea Generator in a Box, on the right second row from the bottom.

Shubahlup-Grit City by Angela Yoder

Copse by Carrie Larson

Chronos and Kairos by Debbi Commodore

Who Wrote the Book of Love? by Dorothy McCuistion

Blooming Verses by Elizabeth Walsh

The Packard Book by Gabby Cooksey

Grandpa, the Boy, and the Goat by NORBAG member John Arbuckle

Crow Anting by Jan Ward

Imagining Spring by Laurie Strong

Bark Beetle Book Vol. XIA and B: Tenaway Log by Suze Woolf

Forming Common Threads by Mari Eckstein Gower

Body Parts by NORBAG member Bonnie Julien

STRAP JOURNAL WORKSHOP

On June 9, 2018, Michele Kamprath led a workshop for a strap journal. We started with a text block of four signatures. It is a simple text block made with a kettle stitch at the head and tail of the spine and a single long stitch in the middle. What sets this book apart is that the long stitch is sewn over a strap that is then woven through the cover to bind the cover to the text block.

As usual, we all started with the same instructions and ended up with many different looking books.

Michele brought several examples of how the strap can connect to the covers.

This is Donna G's book that shows the structure (both front and back cover). You can clearly see the long stitches through the window cutout. The strap stayed on the inside of the cover and then popped out and right back in.

The text block is made of four signatures with a kettle stitch at the head and tail

of the text block. A paper strip is caught by a single long stitch in the middle.

The paper is folded to make the one-half inch spine in the middle of the cover.

We "dry fit" the book in the cover. The band is not yet connected to the cover. Also notice that the cover extends beyond the signature. It will be folded back (to the inside) to result in an uncut lead edge for strength and appearance. It can also cover some of the mechanics of the structure.

Our next step was to measure the opening in the cover of the spine to show the stitching and the strap. There are several ways to cut this hole. It can be as simple as a cutout, or cutting an "I" that looks like cupboard doors that open resulting in two small cuts and two folded edges, or cutting an "X" cut that results in four folded edges.

 The next photos show variations for the strap.

This strap comes outside the opening and then is buried within the cover.

This strap starts outside of the cover and then weaves in-out-in on the cover.

This strap stays inside the cover until it pops out with a decorative cut end.

The front part of this strap stays outside of the hole and dips into a crescent shaped slit on the left. The back side of the strap is extended around the front and into another crescent shaped cut.

Take a look at the variety of books.

Hope you like them.

FLAG DAY 2018 TRIBUTE

In celebration of Flag Day, June 14^th and Independence Day, July 4^th, members of the North Redwoods Book Arts Guild have displayed flag and star structure books in the Humboldt County Library kiosk. Included are single and double flag books made with photographs, watercolor paintings of local landscapes, artwork, butterfly prints, and a signal-flag message.  Star books included feature tunnel pages, pockets, cut outs, recycled book pages, poetry, educational, artistic, and entertaining formats representing Matisse, Frida Kahlo, and other creative varieties.

e Flag Books f

“...a fold has two sides, each going in a different direction.

If a flag is pasted to one side of the fold,

 it will lie down heading in one direction; if pasted to the other side,

 the flag will lie pointing in the other direction.”

COVER TO COVER

by Shereen LaPlantz

The flag book structure was developed in 1979 by Hedi Kyle.

e Star Books f

Star Books come in a variety of structures which form a star shape. 
Variations include

“ a triple layer accordion fold book,” “two sets of signatures... bound together with spacers...” and

“three layers of concertina folds, with cutouts, sewn together on the fore edge” and other star folds.

COVER TO COVER

by Shereen LaPlantz

Thank you Dianne Byington for providing the photographs and creating this display.