art space

My entire house is turning into art space, and that ain't good... papers, string, ribbon, stamps, stamp pads... little odd found objects. They are everywhere... or at least covering my dining table, on my kitchen counter, on my office floor and now covering a table in the teeny extra room.

I have a little note to myself, thumb tacked to the wall in front of me. It says Ask - Believe -Receive. I just said "studio" I need a studio... a well lit room big enough to hold all this stuff and still have room for at least two tables... a room about the size of a two car garage. So, it's out there... universe, do your thing.

I've been making books. Since finding that magnificent roll of papers I feel I've been given a sign that I am supposed to be sewing books together. I made my first book several years ago as a sample for an 8th grade art class... I made my second the next year. This past year I've been taking book making classes, learning the process, again making several samples, now for me. I love doing it. That is the simple truth... and while I don't think this is where I will remain, this is certainly where I am right now and I plan to make the most of it and hopefully discover a thing or two about my creative nature along the way.
This is a blank journal made a couple days ago, 6x8", covered with marbled paper in orange and gold tones. (see the face in the marbling near the leather spine? Cool!) The spine is soft-soft leather.

The pages are heavy tea-stained colored stock with enough tooth to hold charcoal or watercolor. I used six signatures of five pages each giving the book, making the book 118 pages long.

This 6x6 inch book I finished today. I really struggled about how to complete the cover and then a little leaf stamp I'd made a year ago fell on the floor and I tried it out on some scrap and knew I had what I needed. The veins of the leaf have been filled with a little gold leaf to add some sparkle. The cover is a gray-blue paper filled with lots of fibers of darker blue and gold. the spine is a blue dyed piece of leather.

The book is made of six signatures of eight pages each. The paper is about 60 pound stock with a smooth surface which would make it very nice for writing.

This book I started months ago, but early last week quickly just put it together. The cover is from a page torn from an art journal I purchased at an flea market in Switzerland. I've attached a leather thong to it to tie it closed.

As you can see it has an open spine so it will open perfectly flat.... the book is made with 80 pound watercolor and there are five, five page signatures making it 100 pages long???? the math of it all is beginning to escape me.

Anyway, here I've begun to paint at the first page... this is just a beginning... playing with watercolor and pen, then I blocked in a bit behind with acrylic...

I've given myself permission to play, to just see what happens and a commission to make a dent in my paper stash by the end of July.... now if I could just clean off my dining table.