Handmade Art Books

Works in Progress...

   I create my own travel sketchbooks using watercolor paper and mat board and that "hands on" process makes my work feel more personal from the get-go. Over time, one thing has led to another and I've become fascinated with creating little mini books that I fill with watercolors... or whatever. Here are a few accordion style pieces in progress.
   Each is about 4" x 6" folded. The top book is one that I made to take to Italy. The 2nd one will be titled "Fly" and my plan is to illustrate a bird on each of the 8 panels. The round book is all about bird nests... and the little purple book... who knows!
   All of these little books started in workshops that I teach in Making Art Books and Sketchbooks -- one of my favorite things to teach. It's a joy to guide each person through the mechanics and then watch them design and craft book unique to their personality.

My Italy Sketchbook

   Yikes, it's been 2 months since my last post! It may sound lame, but I'll use my trip to Italy as an excuse. Fellow artist, Vera Dickerson and I led a group of 19 other artists for two weeks of painting,  sightseeing, dining and wine-ing in Umbria and Tuscany. Early October is a gorgeous time of year to visit.
   The first week was spent at La Romita School of Art, a former monastery built in the 1500s -- now privately owned and hosting artist groups. The atmosphere is relaxed and the hospitality is genuine. Each day we were taken to interesting, and often out of the way, villages -- the kind that most tourists never get to see. You can find out more about them at www.laromita.org
   The second week, we settled into a hotel in Cortona, but not without taking day trips to two of Italy's landmark cities, Florence and Sienna.
   I found inspiration at every turn, but there just weren't enough hours in the day to be able complete my sketchbook. This one will have to be a work in progress, and I promise to post the remaining pages once completed! Meanwhile, here's a peak at some of the pieces I did on location.