Book Arts Mania: Family History Photo Book

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it does create something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman 

This is a small [6" X 53/4"] folded-page book with a folded cover which I made several years ago as a demonstration showing various applications of this format. The first two photos "pop up" as the pages are opened. The third folds out so that the back can be read.

John H. Ewing was my 2nd great-grandfather who served in the American Civil War. These are the only photos I have of him. I have shared them with many relatives on genealogy websites.

The Cover

The Title Page

Page One and Two

Page Three and Four 

Pages Five and Six

The Photo Turned Out

Commit Acts of Art: Garden Wreaths

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

My acts of art this week have been in the garden. When it is hot and I need a rest, I sit in the shade of the apricot tree and weave wreathes from Oregon grape vines that I trim from the fence. The vines try to escape from the fence and invade the edges of the garden. I pull up on the growth end of a vine, and all the nodes along the vine that have sent out roots pop out of the ground. A firm tug and the vine snaps off at the fence. I peel the leaves from the vines, but I don't remove the wiry root clusters because they add an interesting element to the wreaths. The wreaths start out as wobbly circles, but as more vines are woven in and out around the base, the circles become more regular. My woven heart is a bit lopsided, but it is just fine for my garden. I will hang wreaths on the wall of the garden shed.

"Everything is good for something" Italian Proverb

Book Arts Mania: Another "Hidden-page" Book

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

This is another collage book in the "hidden-book format that I made when I taught middle school students book arts. It is slightly larger than the two books I showed in the last post.

The front and back cover.

Pages one and two. Each page is 8 inches by 5 1/4 inches.

Pages three and four, the center spread.

Pages five and six.

The inside hidden page. (16 inches by 21 1/2 inches)

My favorite Grant Wood quote in this little book is: "All the really good ideas I'd ever had came to me while I was milking a cow."

Book Arts Mania: Simple Folded-paper Books

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important." Michael L. Goodman

I taught a book arts class for the Cultural Arts Society of West Jordan in May. Eighteen people signed up for the class, but only nine showed up to participate. It was a free class, so there was no financial commitment to attend except for curiosity and a desire to learn something new. It was a Friday evening after all. Those who did come had a good time learning to fold paper into simple books, and I enjoyed teaching again. We had a creative discussion about ways to use the books while we committed acts of art folding "pants" books, hidden-page books, "T-fold" books, and book covers.

I showed a few examples of how I used these "origami" books when teaching middle school art students. This is a simple "pants" fold book using one sheet of paper. It is 4 1/4 inches by 2 3/4 inches with a folded-paper cover.

Title page.

Pages one and two.

I made some collage "hidden" books with images and quotes from various artists I admire. I laminated each book so the students could handle them without weakening the folds and wearing the books out. Even so, someone thought to improve Lautrec's work with a red line on page four. These two books are 5 1/2 inches by 4 inches.

The cover of the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec book.

Pages one and two.

Pages three and four.

Pages five and six.

The hidden image inside the book. (15 3/4 inches by 10 3/4 inches)

The cover of the Georgia O'Keeffe book.

Pages one and two.

Pages three and four.

Pages five and six.

The hidden image inside the book. (15 3/4 inches by 10 3/4 inches.)

Commit Acts of Art

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important." Michael L. Goodman

I found this statement in a post by Sarah Leavitt of the text of the talk she gave to the graduates of the School of Creative Writing at UCB last year. It was recommended by Austin Kleon in his newsletter last Friday. I believe it speaks well to the topic of committing acts of art every day.

Joyful Persistence: “For those of you who’ve taken my classes, you know that I am always encouraging you to waste paper. You will not be the reason that our forests disappear. Take up the whole page with your drawing. Write everything, don't worry about who will like it, stop editing in advance! Write every day! Draw every day! Worry less about each individual word or picture. Identify the things you want to get better at and do them over and over.

The finished pieces that we share – they’re dependent on these messy piles of imperfection. Remember, we are workers, we make things.”

Big Art-Little Spaces: Travel Photos

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael Goodman

I have been traveling a lot in the last two months. A week in Ohio, a week and a half in Egypt, and side trips here and there around the home front. I took hundreds of photos in Ohio and Egypt, many of them of the same scene or object from multiple angles. Some photos might be seen as acts of art in themselves, and often some are springboards for other acts of art.

The outer court of the Kirtland Temple, Kirtland, Ohio.

At Le Sacré-Coeur, Montmartre, Paris.

The Giza Plateau, Egypt.

Feluccas on the Nile near Aswan, Egypt.

Two carvings of a Coptic Cross

on the wall of the Temple of Isis at Philae, Egypt.

My interpretation of the Coptic Cross at Philae.

My new mantra is "Commit Acts of Art every day!" Some days, taking a picture is my act of art when I have no time to doodle, draw, or paint. Arranging the plants and the watering system in my vegetable garden, adding a found object as a garden ornament, or making a small column of free-standing river stones at the end of a grow box is sometimes my act of art in a busy day which no one sees but me.

Books Arts Mania: Filling the Book, Part Three

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result."  Michael L. Goodman

My wife and I with our three daughters visited Ohio for a week at the beginning of April. We went to see the eclipse, visit some of the Hopewell Indian Mounds, and see LDS historic sites in Kirtland. It was difficult to do much doodling while we were driving from mound to mound and city to village. I only saved four of the small circles I did while resting in the evenings at the Airbnbs. These are in the book now.

While we were exploring Sandusky, Ohio, where we viewed the eclipse, I saw these acts of art on a walk by Lake Erie. Some signposts similar to these would be fun to have in different areas of my garden.

Here is an interesting yard decoration:

Book Arts Mania: Filling the Book, Part two

"Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I have continued to doodle as often as I can with my favorite ink pen on a few small torn-edged pieces of paper. These eight I added to the small reverse piano hinge book I made in February. Fourteen more plates and the book will be completed.

The doddle above on the right was an herbal teabag stain [a very nice German peppermint, by the way] on the back of a piece of note paper. I almost threw the paper away when I was cleaning my desk, but the circle caught my eye. Serendipity!

Book Arts Mania: Completed Concertina Fold Book

 "Not every act of art creates something special, but it creates something. It is the act of art that is important, not the result." Michael L. Goodman

I finished this 5 1/2" X 6" concertina book a couple of weeks ago. I would like to add a circular design on the front cover, but I haven't progressed that far yet. As I have said before, there is something mysterious about circles, circular shapes, and spirals. Wassily Kandinsky remarked, "The circle is the synthesis of the greatest oppositions. It combines the concentric and the eccentric in a single form and equilibrium. Of the three primary forms, it points most clearly to the fourth dimension."

Circles as continuous unbroken shapes can symbolize completeness, wholeness, and unity. Circles and dots have been used in "primitive" art since prehistoric cave paintings. Helen Wells, an artist and writer from the South Coast of England, uses concentric circles and dots often in her work. While not being Aboriginal Art, it does have an echo of that art form which I like.

Here is my book:

An orange slice

Mayan-inspired circle with a spiral

A harlequin circle and another spiral

Two Vicki Grant-inspired circles