A 'uniquely portable magic' at Columbia City Gallery

If Stephen King is right that “books are a uniquely portable magic”… then a book arts exhibit must be a special kind of sorcery.

“The Book as Art” gathers a dazzling array of handmade books at the Columbia City Gallery. They’re different from the books I alter, which are usually sealed shut (partially or completely). Although I make narrative art, the story is told within a more traditional volume. These artworks tend to deconstruct the book design itself. It’s fascinating to see what qualifies as a “book" in an artist’s opinion, and what materials they choose to manipulate.

MalPina Chan, “The Evil Eye:: Envy and Jealousy”

Narrowing down the selection must’ve been a nightmare for MalPina Chan and her co-curators. But installation day… now that I would’ve volunteered enthusiastically to do.

Getting back to the “portable” part of the magic, though, I can’t escape the desire to hold a book in my hands. How do you allow people to get a good feel for the artwork, literally and figuratively?

Fortunately, there’s a time and place to ask: the book artist panel discussion at the gallery tomorrow, October 19th, at 4pm. After a couple hours in this magicians’ workshop, maybe I’ll walk out with a few secrets I can take back to my own studio.

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.