Lisa Myers Bulmash 3/15/19 Lisa Myers Bulmash 3/15/19

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 — *Ric*ë *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.

Lisa Myers Bulmash 3/18/16 Lisa Myers Bulmash 3/18/16

Keeping promises

Once I finished up the washboard-mounted altered book series, I cleaned up the studio a little and realized... oh yeah... I promised a piece of art to someone.

Volunteers from Preston Kuppe Guild gave me that intriguing cigar box, back at the Fall Best of the Northwest art festival last year.

Visitors to the 2015 Best of the Northwest art festival. ©Lisa Myers Bulmash — *Visitors to the 2015 Best of the Northwest art festival.* ©*Lisa Myers Bulmash*

The guild raises money for Seattle Children's Hospital during their "Art a la Carte" auction. They've asked me and other festival artists to turn the boxes into artworks to be sold at the event. The rocky exterior texture is giving me some ideas...

... but I have to make it all happen in the next few days. Preferably over the weekend. Hoo boy... send me some encouragement to keep me going, won't you?