APRIL 2022

When we arrived in Barbados I wished that I had thought ahead and packed some of my handmade papers or some of my purchased Japanese papers. My husband has heard me say ‘I need paper’, ‘I wish I had some paper’… maybe a few times too many! Paper where I am living now is very expensive. There is nothing decorative. Postage to place an order is so expensive it is not an option for me. Yesterday my husband took the car in for an oil change. He returned later that morning, walked through the door and proudly announced, ‘I brought you a present’ and he took from behind his back a very large piece of paper… the paper that was put on the floor of the drivers’s seat to keep the floor clear and dry, placed there by the service department. It is a lovely thick piece of paper and the few sole prints on it add character.

I learned a lesson in all of this, that there are ‘papers’ everywhere to make books from…paper bags, gift wrap, deli papers, parchment paper, cardboard, magazines, newspaper, envelopes, maps…etc….

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MARCH 2022

We have been living in Barbados for the past 5 months. I love to create! It really doesn’t matter what it is, I sit down to my table with book arts supplies spread out before me or stand to paint at my easel. I tend to move from one  project to another. Painting, printmaking and now it is making books. Recently, I have been collecting pieces of metal that I find laying in the streets. Bridgetown is a great place to find it.

Today I am rusting paper and loving the patterns that have resulted. I bought turmeric in the market the other day and I want to experiment with dyeing watercolour paper…all for my next book. My husband recently purchased some light bulbs for outdoor lights in the community. I looked at the boxes they came in and decided I could do something with these boxes of very thin corrugated cardboard. I pulled the outer printed layer off. I can become excited over the simplest of things…I took all of the boxes.

This is what I am working at now….rusted paper and corrugated cardboard for the covers of my book covers. I pulled away some of the paper to reveal the under layer to give some texture to the covers. 

I am reminded of fire.

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HANDMADE BOOKS

and….

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Tiny sun flower paintings in acrylic for Ukraine

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‘French Link Stitch’

Cover of book cloth made from purchased fabric / Heat n Bond

6” X 4”

2 ply waxed linen thread

signatures of 75 lb sketch paper

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‘Paired Needle Coptic Binding with Window’

Cover of acrylic paint on copy paper

Binding of waxed linen thread, 

bobble from a long ago flea market

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Cover of acrylic paint on 185 lb watercolour paper

Signatures of 75 lb sketch paper

Binding of 4 ply embroidery cotton

Found and handmade beads

Handmade beads made 

from strips of magazine paper

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Lark’s Head binding

Cover of origami paper, 

Binding of 18/3 waxed Irish linen thread,

Signatures of 185 lb watercolour paper and

envelopes

With thanks to the tutorials of Ali Manning

and the Handmade Book Club

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Coconut Tree and Herbs

I love tending to my herb pots on my front porch and I love to cook with fresh herbs.

My husband Paul climbs this ladder to reach the coconuts. 

This year we had coconut meat that 

I was able to grate and freeze. Usually they are cut down for the coconut water.

I made a cherry coconut loaf and macaroons.

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My favourite rose

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A visitor to our front porch

Hibiscus, Oil on panel

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 October/November, 2021 

painting at the Gibson

The Museum of Modern Art, New York, MoMA, offers some amazing ‘free’…FREE! courses. I have taken two of these so far…

WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY ART? and 

IN THE STUDIO: POST WAR ABSTRACT PAINTING…..

both were so so good! Which one will I take next?

Here are some recent books I have made. I am learning new bindings and enjoying this very much. I love this new one #1, it is my favourite so far. I made the book cloth out of left over material from mask making. I need to search out how to protect this material. Maybe an acrylic spray. I have not made masks in months. I have quite a bit of material left. Our masks are holding up well and I love the patterns in my masks. The Pixar Sully book is one of my favourites. I made my husband a mask out of this material and he gets some great comments. I belong to a book arts group and I have to thank Ali Manning and her team for her great detailed tutorials. The third book down was made from a material called Kraft-tex. I haven’t quite decided if I like it or not. I ordered it on Amazon, it comes unwashed and I had to wash and iron it. It does takes acrylic paint well. The forth book down is quite small and in the landscape format with signatures of a combination of 40 lb paper and 90 lb watercolour paper. It is a nice size to fit in your hand. Many years ago I purchased a book similar to book #5 because I loved the beads. I am a big bead collector. Some time ago I was sewing beads into my canvases…but it was time consuming so I quite. Now I have found another use for my very large collection of beads.

I have been working on a book for many months now. (#7) I would take it out…add a bit, write a bit, do some sketches and then put it away. Well, it is finally finished. The covers of this book are made from my hand made cotton and corn husk paper. I LOVE this particular paper. I submitted this book to the South Simcoe Arts Council juried art exhibit ‘Diversity’: Windows of the World’, and it was accepted. Art works are displayed in the windows of local businesses. I was not sure mine would be accepted...being a book and not a painting. But it was. Mine is in the window of the Alliston Business Improvement Association on Victoria St. 

#1

                                           #2

#3

           

                                    #4
                                                     

#5

                            

#6

 #7

 

BOOKMAKING

...while staying home during a pandemic...

During my years at OCAD, some of my favourite courses were 

printmaking and paper making courses.

I made lots of paper, beautiful papers, papers I stored in a box 

and that box has been sitting in a closet for too many years.

I have set myself a goal to make many many books.

I thank all those who have provided tutorials...see names with each book.

As well, I have some amazing Japanese papers from those days

purchased at ‘The Paper Place’ in Toronto, Ontario.

Following you will find a few of my recently made books...

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‘Sewn Over Tapes’ book, coptic stitch, 

my handmade purple cotton paper for the cover

and my handmade white cotton end papers 

which were embossed with one of my linocuts.

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‘Past and Present’ 

I have been making masks for over a year now

and donating them to anyone who wanted one...or more.

I came to love the patterns on the fabric. 

It was this that inspired this spinner accordion book.

The spinners (masks) are painted with gouache and leaning into the 

space between...the covid virus (linocut printed in oil) 

Each spinner is held in place by a thin thread. 

For me it is the space between that I have come to value and protect.

For the cover I started with a piece of my handmade 

cotton paper. Paint and text added. 

I wrote into it historical facts from the 1918 Spanish Flu in Canada. 

As I discovered more I painted over the text in black and 

rewrote this time in white. Layered text.

 ...many similarities from 1918 to today...

I searched through my button stash (I have a lot of buttons) for a button

closure that looked to be of that era.

Then I came across a Red Cross in my button jar

and after googling it I discovered that it 

was a Red Cross button from WW1. Excited!

Interestingly it was returning WW1 solders

who brought the Spanish Flu to Canada.

I thank Ali Manning for the spinner accordion book tutorial.

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This winged according book houses my linocuts printed in oil

 and text from a favourite hymn of mine...

‘Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness’ 

composed by James K. Manley (1975)

Images are from sketches done at a yearly

artist retreat I attend, thanks to 

Mark Fletcher ‘Rancho Relaxo’, and Liz Schamehorn

Linocuts printed in oil on BFK Rives paper

Thank you Ali Manning for the winged accordion book making tutorial

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Two sewn books, covers are my handmade cotton paper

with flower inclusions and decorative weaving.

Tutorial Ali Manning