Wheee! I’m all caught up with the hundreds of book arts pieces I’ve done since 1997. That means from here on out, the Book Pages will be updated project-by-project. I have some good stuff on tap for 2014.
Book of Hearts approx, 2″ x 3″ x 1.5″ woodburned and painted poplar box spine, eight woodburned and painted poplar pages, tooled and painted leather covers, waxed polyester thread, glass beads. Original made in 2009; substantially rebuilt in 2014.
Topic: abstracted heart designs woodburned onto poplar or carved into leather, accented with distressed red acrylic paint and varnish.
Construction: two-part pages of wood joined to hinges of right angle weave beadwork. All eight pages connected by modified stab binding, then anchored through box spine with decorative tassels.
Inspiration: paper cutout Valentines I first learned to make in second grade. I liked the idea of a non-verbal Valentine book, with lots of botanical and geometric hearts to peruse.
Private collection.
Tempe Spring 2014 Awards ribbons (2 shown): (16) 4”x 16”, (1) 5”x 20” pieced linen, cotton batik, cotton duck, cotton broadcloth, hand-dyed linen, digitally printed labels and map fabric, polyester thread, glass beads. These were designed to complement the text-collage artwork of Richard Curtner, the Spring Festival’s Featured Artist.
His Festival logo piece “The Catcher and the Fly” is shown at this Pinterest link.
14 Pearls 26″ x 50″ x 1.5″ (when stretched)
Glued and machine-sewn linen strips coated with clear gesso, then layers of acrylic paint, aluminum leaf, brushwork calligraphy, and slip-trailed ink. Finished with Golden Galkyd Varnish, gloss.
I love working lines of poetry, text, or mathematical formulas into semi-abstract paintings, and this is one of the first ones I made, back in 2005. I’m just now actually finishing it, which is why it’s here on the 2014 page.
Like many of my pieces, 14 Pearls evolved over time, from the abstract landscape background, to the stylized tree draped with jeweled chains, to the bird, to the William Morris quote that anchored it:
‘Nor are on one strand are all of Life’s jewels strung.’
I’ve included it in the book arts catalog because it is firmly text-based art. Once it’s stretched, I’ll post of a picture of that, too.
It’s a reminder that achievements are mutable, and people should be open to finding as many ways as possible to add meaning and joy to their lives.
Not yet available for purchase.
Arachne 5″ h x 4″ w x 1.75″ d
It took me fifteen years to get around to finishing this book, and it came out rather different than I’d first planned.
Inside a repurposed commercial masonite/poplar photo book, 12 linen and cotton pages are embroidered and appliqued with an original poem ‘Arachne’, and illustrative materials including commercial and digitally-printed cotton, cotton machine-made lace, hand embroidered spiderwebs, and glass beads. Pages are anchored into rotating wood spine. Covers are layered with acrylic paint and ink, and finished with satin varnish.
Theme: the dangers of relying on/challenging gods.
More about this piece here. Private collection. 
Tempe Fall 2014 Awards ribbons (3 shown):
(16) 4”x 16”, (1) 5”x 20” handpainted and monoprinted linen, commercially printed cotton fabric, brocade fabrics, polyester grosgrain ribbons, silk velvet, digitally printed labels, polyester thread, glass beads. These were designed to complement the surreal photography of Shawn Harris, the Fall Festival’s Featured Artist.
They came out sort of ‘Goth Narnia’, but I’m completely okay with that.
Tour 1.375″ h x 1.375″ w x 1.5″ (closed)
Woodburned, vanished Cocobolo covers with sanded acrylic ink overlay; 16 pages of linen and cotton applique with commercially-printed cotton and hand-painted vignettes of European travel. Inspired by sketchbooks from a 1984 trip overseas. Binding: double needle Coptic with tan waxed polyester thread, accented with turquoise, copper, and tan glass beads. 1/29/2018: this tiny book has been (slightly) reworked into a necklace.
Spice Book 3.75″h x 4″w x 3.5″d
Fabric covers in tan and dark blue/gray/green, framing title and signature. 12 pages/24 views worked in commercial cotton fabric applique, beading, embroidery, and hand-inked text and sketches. Theme worked around six Trena Hegdahl ‘Herb & Spice’ porcelain buttons circa 1996: Basil, Chives, Cloves, Mustard, Sage, and Thyme. Each page group showcases an original sketch of the plant, its Latin name, the corresponding button, and attributes from ancient cultures and Victorian floral dictionaries. Binding: double needle Coptic with tan waxed polyester thread, accented by long tassels with pale green, pale blue, iridescent gray, and striped metallic glass beads. Collection, UCLA Darling Biomedical Library, Special Collections.
This is so unique! Great job.
This was a fun one. And of course, it is spawning more ideas: now I want to make something similar, only with painted and gilt Renaissance landscapes on the wooden pages. I have just the accent beads, too…
Sigh. This is why I have five to ten unfinished book art projects going at all times, and sketches for several dozen more.
Glad you liked!
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Wow! That’s some beautiful book art. I love it, especially the 14 Pearls one.
Thank you. I still have to buy the stretcher bars for ’14 Pearls’; when I finally get it stretched, I’ll post a better picture.