Busy Hands, 1000 Books

Our March meeting was devoted to beginning the process of constructing 1000 books which we will sell for $1 each. This is a benefit for the Humboldt Literacy Project. We had a great turnout and members cut, folded, creased, and glued many books. To give you an idea of the scale of the project, this box contains only 200 of the 1000 books. They have been cut and folded but the covers still needed to be cut and then the pages needed to be glued inside the covers.
The slideshow will give you an idea of the fun we had and you'll also see it wasn't all work and no play. We're off to a good start. Thanks to Sandy Vrem for organizing the project and leading the workshop and thanks to Bonnie Julien for the photos and writing the captions. Thank you Jill (a member from England) for the tea and cookies. How perfect!

You may click on the photos to see larger images in Picasa.

March Workshop--1,000 Books for Literacy

Earlier this year our board approved a special fund-raising effort to help the nonprofit Humboldt Literacy Project. Their mission is to teach Humboldt County adults the literacy skills they need on the job, at home and in our community. They also work to promote public awareness of the magnitude and negative effects of illiteracy.

At this workshop we will begin assembling 1,000 books which will be made from a single sheet of paper. These will be cut and folded to make small books that will be sold for $1.00 at a fund-raising event at Eureka Books on September 3rd. All proceeds will benefit Humboldt Literacy Project.

The pages will come printed. All we need to do is fold, cut and attach the covers. The topics for the little books so far are Peace, Nature, Art, Reading and a Child’s Book. You will be able to take materials home if you wish to continue working on this project. 

Please come help with this very worthy cause.

What to bring:

Bone folder
Metal ruler
Cutting mat
Craft knife 
Scissors
Glue stick
Scrap paper 
Colored pencils
Nature stamps
Papers for covers: we will need pieces that are about 5x6"…don’t pre-cut. Keep in mind the topics: Peace, Nature, Art, Reading and a Child’s Book. We suggest primary colors for the Child’s Book.

Sandy Vrem will bring the printed pages, some pre-cut covers and whatever she can think of to enhance the covers.

Newport Paper Arts Fest 2010

The fifteenth paper arts festival held in Newport, Oregon, will take place this April 23, 24, and 25. There are eighteen classes taught by thirteen artists. We have quite a number of members who attend regularly and Dolores will be teaching a workshop. Registration is determined by postmark date, so act quickly! Use this link to read more about instructors and for access to the festival brochure and the registration form (see the links to the pdf files at the bottom of the page). 
Newport Paper Arts Fest 2010

Shereen LaPlantz, University of Puget Sound

Article by Dolores Guffey, Photos by Bonnie Julien

Currently, at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, there is an exhibit of the work of artist Shereen LaPlantz. The exhibit is through March 12, 2010. Not all of our current guild members may be aware that Shereen was one of the founding members of North Redwoods Book Arts Guild. Although she was only a member during the first year (1995-96) her influence and dedication to book arts has shaped not only our guild, but anyone who decided to try their hand at book arts. I feel honored to have had the experience of not only taking workshops from her, but observing her create Cover to Cover.  She had "play days" where she invited other book artists to come to her studio to work up models that would be in the book. Among those at the play days were Dorothy Swendeman, Elaine Benjamin, Robin Renshaw, JoAnne Berke, and Dolores Guffey.

After Cover to Cover was published, Shereen initiated the organizing of a Book Arts Conference here in Humboldt County, one of the purposes of creating The North Redwoods Book Arts Guild. In June of 1996 we put on a fantastic conference with nationally recognized book art instructors from all over the U.S. and even Canada. Shereen was able to use her connections to gather 18 book artists to participate. This was our first and last conference. As successful as it was, it was just too much work! After the conference Shereen took a different direction and concentrated on her one and three year workshop commitments which she taught in her home.

Editor comments:

The University of Puget Sound has an excellent press release where you will learn more about Shereen and her books. NORBAG member, Bonnie Julien enjoyed touring the exhibit and she was given permission to take photos. She has provided all of the captions and has taken photos in very challenging conditions with great results. View the following Picasa slideshow to feel as if you're touring the exhibit yourself! (Click on the slideshow image to view a larger version in Picasa)

To our readers! Do you have a favorite structure from Cover to Cover or The Art & Craft of Handmade Books? If so, use the "COMMENT" link below, then type your favorite structure, answer the "word verification" (keeps out computer spam), use the "Name" button (you only need a first name) and publish your comment to share with other readers.

Holes, Gaps, and Apertures from England

Article by Margaret Beech, photos by Jill Williams, UK

 

OCTOBER MEETING OF QUARTO AND BOUND TO BE GOOD

Quarto was founded in 2001 and its members—around sixteen—meet four times a year at the University of Sunderland. In lieu of membership and attendance fee we have an obligatory book exchange at each meeting. Members spend quite some time explaining to the group how the book was made and what inspired it, followed by either a workshop by a paid tutor or a mini-workshop taught by members. In October 2009 members of Bound to be Good (BTBG) from Calderdale near Halifax (about 100 miles south of Sunderland) drove north to share our meeting with us. Like Quarto, BTBG grew out of a local calligraphy society when their members decided to take their lettering skills further and discovered book arts. Now both groups have members who have no lettering skills but bring other disciplines to share. 

On the day of the exchange everyone brought a book; the subject was "Holes, Gaps, and Apertures. We had plenty of opportunity to view books made for previous exchanges, meet new people with similar interests but sometimes a different take on what was done, and share lunch together. It was a most successful day and we hope to share meetings and books again in the future.

Picasa Slideshow:

View Larger Map
(From editor): We look forward to more "online" meetings. Thank you!

Stamps and Stencils Workshop Results

We had a great turnout for the Valentine Card exchange; it's always great fun to see how twenty book artists interpret the Valentine theme. These cards (or books) were made by some of our out-of-town members. Thank You!

The workshop focused on creating our own stamps using Fun Foam or meat trays. Sandy V. was the instructor and she had many great examples, inspiring us all to snip away and come of with some really good results.
To see a slide show of stamps being constructed, completed stamps, and results of the printing, please visit Stamps and Stencils. This is a Picasa website and you can view the workshop as a slide show. We will certainly see more handmade stamps and stencils showing up in our books. Great fun and some great chocolate candies.

February Workshop--Stamps and Stencils

Sandy V. will be teaching our workshop on Saturday, February 13. If you plan to attend, you must RSVP Sandy by Wed, February 10th so she has enough time to prepare materials (her contact details are in the newsletter or in the membership directory). We will be using Art Foam to make quick and easy stamps and freezer paper and other materials to cut stencils. We will then use our stamps and stencils to enhance previously decorated papers or a variety of new papers. Finally we will share our creations.

What to bring:

Scissors , craft knife and cutting mat.

Ink pads and/or acrylic paint and brush.

Spray bottle and paper towels.

Cardboard to use as a base for stamps.

Papers to stamp and stencil: bring paste papers and gelatin prints that need more decoration.

White or colored papers...try a variety.

Sandy will bring Art Foam, freezer paper and other materials for stencils, stipple brushes, paper samples and whatever she can think of that might be fun to use.