"Landscape" book by Laura Gable

Being primarily a painter, the Book Arts Group provides me with an opportunity to repurpose my paintings into a different, more intimate form. Here is "Landscape" which was developed from a watercolor painting I did several years ago while taking a class from Don Getz. It was painted on Strathmore Aquarius paper that had been primed with gesso, then once completed, the painting fixed with Blair fixative. It was an interesting process.

Much time passed and one day a dramatic idea arrived. This painting might be better served as a book and I needed to tear it into 16 equal sections. So it became a postcard book. I wrote prose at the bottom of each page, which describes our terrain in a voice reminiscent of John Muir (though not nearly as eloquent). It's housed in a box built from davey board, recycled wall paper, an antique frame, a reproduction of the painting, gold ink and ribbon. It all tucks away rather neatly.

The original painting, torn into equal sized "post cards" is assembled in book form on the right, while a reproduction of the complete painting is mounted in an antique frame on the top of the French Box that I built to house the book. 

The book is tucked away in it's hand built box, made from Davey Board,
wall paper remnants, archival paper, ribbon, antique frame, gold ink, and cold wax finish.

Another view of the book and it's box

"Ephemera Collector" by Laura Gable [reposting]

This book is in the current show at the Allied Arts Gallery through May 30th, so I am reposting this previous entry.

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Crow / Ephemera Collector was inspired by my book artist friends. It evolved from being a simple small oil painting on the back of a bamboo box. Inside it has a few small "found objects' that I've collected along the street, much like a crow would do. The companion handmade book with pamphlet stitch is tucked inside-- it includes hand written prose which praises the worthiness of this magical, curious creature.

"Ephemera Collector"
original oil painting on bamboo box, handmade mini book, and collected ephemera;
©Laura Gable

Allied Arts, May 2015: Visually Speaking: Creatively Read

The Book Artists' of the Tri - Cities will be displaying their recent book creations at Allied Arts, Richland, WA. for the month of May.  Here's a sneak preview of what an observer will experience.....

                                                 Visually Speaking: Creatively Read  

"A Gathering of the Obsolete Generation"
Vicki Gerton's,  wood sculptured books

Barb Sherrill's fabric and multi medium sculpted books

Felicia Follum's recycled and inked concertina books

Kriss Bottino's "French Fries" book

Vintage Automobiles

This collage was done using an old dictionary cover as the substrate.  I used the spine in part of the picture and a photo of my mother and grandmother taken around 1930.  I also used pictures from an old card game my brothers and I used to play.  It's a gift for my son-in-law.

Repurposed 1964 accounting ledger recovered

Repurposed 1964 accounting ledger recovered.
Coptic stitch binding, leather lace and clay button closure.
Title:
Interwoven Cultures: The Reunion, The Border

From a youtube video of El Popocatepetl Volcano, I wanted to capture the life force of the eruption plume in my sketch.

The scanned historic designs, on graph paper, were from Oaxacan professional tapestry weaver, Pedro Mendoza.
Nicole Kirch, my daughter, was our group's translator between English and Spanish

Pam Patrie, a professional tapestry weaver from Portland, Oregon was our group's mentor.  The show was held at the Peter Grey Museum of Art, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  There were 43 artists participating and as far away as Argentina.  I felt a need to complete the project by making a journal of the process.
Patti Kirch

Tennis and Sketching Journal in Camouflage

About half of my tennis students love to sketch and are involved in some art form.  The words on the left are spin pointers.  On the right, I dyed the end paper at June's house before she moved to England.

 I thought that adding a little string bling would jazz up the signatures.

Hopefully, the image on the left helps convert the orbs on the right into tennis balls.   I used waxed linen for the coptic binding and for the bookmark, waxed linen and a tennis string vibration dampener.  The entire book was a terrifically fun challenge.

Patti Kirch

Recent Meetings

A look back at some of the photos I took from past meetings (unfortunately, I didn't take any photos from the last meeting). I will encourage our fellow book artists to post and share images of some of the books they have been working on.

One meeting in the fall 2013, with Sue, Patti and Donna (we will miss you Sue).

During the book exchange of 2013, Kriss assembled these strips of "well wishes"
from the members and gifted it to Bobi.

Lois Anderson shows her beautiful book representing the 11-12-13 challenge.

Marcia Keefer explains her "basket book" made from paper strips she cuts from old books.