Taking flight: new class, new work
I promised you altered books last week, and today I can show you full views. But first… butterflies.
Artist Carla Sonheim and I are going to do a short and easy tutorial in her online art lesson series “Bugs! An Online Class for Kids.” If you’re grown and you wanna play too, ignore that “class for kids” bit — Carla’s made room for adults too. Carla’s a rock star in the mixed media art world, having written books and taught classes at the much-missed Artfest retreat.
Artist and author Carla Sonheim at Artfest 2011
That’s one reason I’d strongly suggest you sign up for “Collaging Your Own Butterfly” sooner rather than later. The class goes live on Thursday, October 22. Meanwhile, I haven’t forgotten about you altered book folks! Here are full views of my most recent pieces: “Leave or Remain”…
… and “Now Boarding.”
By the way… you could’ve seen these two works last week. I made sure to show my subscribers right away. If you don’t want to miss out on the next first-look, sign up to receive my weekly posts.
Saying goodbye to North Light Books
I’ve met some of my favorite people through books: real, live people who wrote the books that introduced me to collage and mixed media art. So I’m a little sad to hear a specialty publishing empire is crumbling. F+W Media, which owns North Light Books and several other imprints, declared bankruptcy recently. North Light published many art technique books, including Destination Creativity: The Life-Altering Journey of the Art Retreat.
Ricë Freeman-Zachery and Earl Zachery in 2010, collecting material for the book Destination: Creativity
I was lucky enough to watch Earl Zachery collect photos while Ricë Freeman-Zachery collected the words. And then Ricë turned around and included a comment from me in the book. (I still get a little thrill out of seeing the pull quote.) I’ve also become friends with her editor Tonia Jenny, who edited two books by another artist/author pal, Michael de Meng.
Michael de Meng mugging for the camera during Artfest 2011
Fortunately, none of these people rely on F+W to pay their bills anymore. But I still have their books in my collection, and I still keep up with some of their authors on social media, including MaryBeth Shaw, Crystal Neubauer and Gina Rossi Armfield.
Making silly faces with Michael de Meng at Artfest 2011. Photo by Lana Guerra.
If these artists keep writing, I hope Quarry Books scoops them up. (Quarry published three of the five books in which my art and commentary appear). I want them to help my artist/author friends keep blowing people’s minds. In the meantime… g’night, North Light.