Sunday, July 10, 2011

Studio is up and running!

Well, its been awhile since i have made anything.  Moving to another country can put a damper on art making.  However, i am moving forward again.  I am happy to have found a wonderful art store near my apartment.  They have great supplies for book making, except for waxed thread.  They have colored hemp string which works but is a bit think so it can making the binding process a little problematic.

So far i have numerous colored papers, thread and different sizes of cardboard for the covers, and paper to cut for the inside of the book.  I have made two full books so far and have started many others.  I don't have pictures of the one, i am giving it to our pastor who is leaving Ulsan and moving back to the states.  So i am having people write in it as a fair well gift to remember us.

The first book is an accordion book.  I thought i would really like accordion books, because they are so easy to make.  But i don't, probably because there's not much of a challenge with them.  But here it is:




The book is about 16 cm by 12 cm.  Im sorry for the poor quality images.  Please excuse them.  More quality photos to come later.
The book has three envelopes to put extra findings and clippings.  I tried to make it a little more exciting with the envelops and then the cut out tree to go with the tree on the thread.  It worked out, but it still feels more like a prototype than a final piece.  



Here are other projects that have been started which are mostly book covers:

The book with the writing is quite funny.  It looks like a news paper, but its really a news paper about cats.  Its quite funny.  The other book cover is raised and has a really nice texture to it.  

This photo does not replicate the beauty of this awesome paper.  It totally looks and feels like snake skin, but its just paper.  It looked much better than I was expecting.  Then i put an envelope as the inside cover.  I like the idea of a book having pockets.  I don't know if its practical yet.  I haven't really gotten that far.  


This will be a better accordion book, i think.  I am planning to create it as if the entire book closes into an envelope.  Like below.

I plan to have some sort of clasp or string to shut it tight.  I am excited to see where this piece turns out.

and finally some sketches.  I went to the "Busan Museum of Art" here in Korea and bought a book of Van Gogh's drawings.  I bought it in hopes that it would ignite a desire to begin sketching.  Its started, i now just need to keep it going.  


I do miss working with wax and hot tools.  I will have to wait for a bit longer for that to happen again.  But for now i can make books and draw.  I plan to do some drawings of the children i teach.  I haven't spent much time drawing children so this could be interesting.  I also have found a new artist who has really opened my eyes to the importance of being and artist and creating.  His name is Makoto Fujimura.  You can see his blog here and make sure to watch this video.



1 comment:

  1. i LOVE handmade books! looks like the start of something beautiful! and the drawing is wonderful as well! you're so talented, my friend!

    ReplyDelete