Books on My Mind

It was bound to happen. I have always love books. I work in a library.

And now I have been bitten by the bookbinding bug. Re-reading Gwen Diehn’s The Decorated Journal recently, with Dorothy Simpson Krause’s Book + Art always at hand, referencing Alisa Golden’s creative series, I am now leafing through Jeannie Stein’s Re-Bound.

Waiting for some ordered supplies--Irish linen thread, sewing needles, an awl, two book kits from two different vendors, 5 different kinds of paper--I’ve been thinking and sketching and researching what kind of books to make. Any and all ideas for book structure, book themes, book combinations, and book closures get jotted down. I even made a signature-punching cradle out of some chip board.

So, it’s possible I have book fever, don’t you think?!

Do I blame it on incessant heat and drought this summer? Sure is a good excuse to stay inside on weekends, drool over wonderful blogs featuring bookbinding, and join Yahoo groups that discuss book arts. Am I taking a break from painting? Or perhaps waiting to splash into tomes where I decide the paper choice? And dreaming how much fun it will be to play, paint, sketch, write, or collage in those books?

Waiting for supplies and time to devote to bookbinding, I have altered a photography book of Ireland using only two methods: cutting and collage. With several sharp tools and a glue stick, I have changed the shape of pages, introduced new elements, as well as collaged over them entirely. Materials are culled from Celtic and Irish art books, calendars, and magazines. A lot can be learned about book structure by removing pages and adding thicker elements.

Something New, Something Recycled Journal Cover

Don't you love being able to re-use something?

While auditioning pieces of fabric to dress up my journal cover, I happened upon this combination--a wonderful fabric that is iridescent and a recycled piece of leather. Can you guess what it once was?

Give up?

Straps from a beloved pair of sandals. Not sure why I cut and kept them, but it makes a handsome latching on an otherwise plain black hardcover blank book.

How do you like to decorate your journal covers?

Hero Brothers Shrine

The Hero Brothers Shrine

11" x 7.75" x 5.50"

mixed media

I enjoy seeing shrines other artists make and realize I have not written or shown any of mine. Here’s a mixed-media shrine I sporadically work on. It’s a tribute to the Kennedy brothers, my childhood heroes.

When I first saw the center wooden piece with two shelves on a clearance at Michael's, I automatically thought of creating a Kennedy shrine holding a small ceramic bust of JFK my Dad gave me decades ago.

At another craft store, I found wooden pieces shaped like a book having a drawer at the spine. I attached two to each end, acting as bookends. Auditioning other wooden pieces, I thought of using a door that could swing open at the bottom.

On wooden 1 ½” blocks, I found photos fitting that size from my collection of old books and magazine articles, brushing each side with clear acrylic medium.

Plastic glow-in-the dark stars were transformed with patina metal pieces and topped with copper foil. Carpet tacks loosely hold two coin medallions of Robert and John Kennedy.

This is what it currently looks like. A Kennedy coat-of-arms is draped between the two coins. Two purple candles sit on the bottom back shelf. Not happy with the painted back arch and first shelf, I attached blue velvet fabric instead.

Celtic knot and font designs were embossed on copper strips and painted with black acrylic paint. They are attached with small copper nails on the side as well on the first shelf where the words “The Hero Brothers” appear.

Since I have learned how to do acrylic medium transfers, I plan to make mini-books to fit inside the book drawers, filled with speech quotes and photos. For now, they hold pictures.